Final Fantasy: Merging Journies
by Raven Ebony
Summary: Destiny sees fit to join to the greatest heroes of all time to fight an evil greater than any other. It all begins when Squall is accused of murdering Rinoa...
1. Merging Journies (Part 1)

Final Fantasy: Merging Journeys

By: Matthew handy__

# New Character

## Name: Raven Ebony

Age: 19

Blood type: A-

Job: Unemployed

Weapon of Choice: Blade

GF of Choice: None.Doesn't trust them.

Ultimate Limit Break?: Psychic Blade (Raven forces all his energy into his weapon and then delivers several devastating slashes followed by a blast of psychic energy)

Bio: Almost as anti-social as Squall.However, Raven is more likely to laugh at something that bothers him.Raven is tough, but overly impulsive and it often gets him in trouble.He was once a mercenary for hire, but abruptly ended his successful career after he lost a loved one to the Galbadian Army.

Quote:"There's a bounty on your head and I'm low on cash!"

Prologue:

I ran and didn't look back.

"C'mon Squall!"called a voice, "We just wanna…talk!"It was Zell; I took no heed.

I knew they didn't want to 'talk'.Even my friends.Why didn't they believe me?

I couldn't stay to find out.I couldn't do _anything_ from the wrong side of a jail cell.So I ran.I ran long after my breath left me and still after my chest felt as if it would burst.The landscape was a blur, but still I couldn't stop.

A primal rage filled my heart, an anger that sought to be quenched.Quenched with the blood of the one who had done this…quenched with the tears that would not come.

The voices of the others slowly faded.I realized that I was no longer in the Garden.I slowed - finally coming to a stop – and let out a scream into the darkness.For the first time I allowed myself to think – to ponder on what had happened.

Why!Rinoa, why did you have to die?

**Part** **One**

Chapter 1: Fugitive

Day finally broke.A few sullen rays of sunlight peaked over the horizon.

Squall slowly opened his eyes.He hadn't meant to fall asleep, but exhaustion had claimed its victim.

At the edge of a field near Balamb, the lone wolf had found shelter at the entrance of a forest.

Though now that the sun was up, he would have to get moving again.Maybe he could catch a train in Balamb and head to Timber.From there he could…he could…what?What could he do?Nothing yet, and nothing if he got caught.

_I'll be here..._ He promised.Squall looked up. _Rinoa...who killed you?__Who could have done this?_He gritted his teeth; no answers would come.

Standing, Squall began to head for toward Balamb.Hopefully he would get there before the news did.

News!Ha!If he hadn't been so miserable, Squall would have laughed.Maybe anyway.What had happened?Squall tried to remember back to the night before. He and Rinoa had had an argument, but things hadn't gotten out of hand.He had to figure things out…

***

"Please Squall," chided Rinoa, "You never want to do anything!C'mon, they barely ever have parties at the Garden anymore.Let's take advantage of this one and have a night out."

She walked up to Squall and wrapped her arms around him, laying her head on his chest."C'mon," she softly repeated, her voice bordered on coyness.

Squall sighed.He could never refuse her when she did that and she knew it.He returned the embrace and said, "Ok, I'll go."

It was three months since their last adventure – since the defeat of the sorceress, Ultimecia.Three months since Rinoa had come into Squall's life.Many things had happened since then.The world seemed to be getting back to its normal routine and a shaky peace had settled over the land.The Garden had repositioned itself near Balamb, but was yet to settle back to its old spot.It probably never would; having the Garden mobile could be quite an asset.

"Really? All right!"Rinoa's expression was one of pure joy, but that mischievous tone told him that she probably had something planned.

Squall had a feeling that this was going to be a long night.

***

As he entered Balamb, Squall looked around

And breathed a sigh of relief.No one found

His presence there unusual.Before

Him, Squall found the train station and only door

Off this forsaken Island Continent.

_The sooner I get out of here the better_, thought Squall.

He soon began to make his way the small harbor town until he was at the entrance of the station, his ticket out of there.Squall was about to enter too, when he heard someone call his name.

Tentatively, he reached for his gunblade, but found that it wasn't in its holster.He'd been in such a rush to get out the night before that he had neglected to take it with him…not that he had wanted to take it from where it had been.

"Squall!" This time he recognized the voice.It was Quistis.Squall turned to see her moving toward him. Perhaps she was coming to arrest him, but if she was, why was she alone, and why was she carrying his gunblade with her.

She refused to look him in the eyes at first.Squall saw that her own eyes were pained and full of strife."I cleaned it off for you," she said softly.It seemed to be all that she could think of to say.Quistis stopped a few feet short of Squall and held out his weapon.

"Why did you come?" asked Squall.He was still somewhat suspicious.Still though, he accepted and took the gunblade.

"Because I believe you," the former instructor stated, "I think I understand you well enough to know that you wouldn't do…_that_ to her."

She looked up at him, and their eyes met for the first time, "What will you do?" she asked at last.

Squall looked away, suddenly feeling uncomfortable, "I don't know.I suppose I'll lie low for awhile," his eyes narrowed, "and then I'll find out who did that to Rinoa and make him pay!"Squall suddenly realized that he was clenching his fists.After forcing himself to relax, he holstered his weapon.

"Let me come with you," suggested Quistis.

"No," the answer was automatic.Squall shook his head, "It would be too dangerous.And besides, I don't want you to get involved.Not in this.You would probably be counted as an accessory and loose your position in SeeD."Squall looked to Quistis, she seemed to be on the verge of tears and that was the last thing he wanted, "Listen," he encouraged, "You stay and find out what you can here.I'll contact you later, ok?"

The girl nodded but said, "Why did this happen?"She seemed to be looking for some kind of comfort from him; comfort that he didn't have and he could not give.

"I've asked myself the same question," he replied after a moment, "I haven't found the answer yet."

Quistis turned her back to him, "I know,"she seemed lost.She and Rinoa had become good friends.This had probably hit her almost as hard as it had him.

A long silence pervaded the air.Neither of them wanting to be the first to speak.Finally though, Quistis broke the empty calmness and said, "You'd better get going.You'll miss the train."

That wasn't what she wanted to say and Squall knew it.Still, he could only stammer out, "Right…"With that, he turned and began to walk away."Goodbye, Quistis."He knew it would probably be a while before they would see each other again.

"Goodbye, Squall," she simply returned the farewell, understanding what Squall meant.After all, as a fugitive, Squall would probably be on the run.

Quistis left slowly, and Squall knew that perhaps he had seen her for the last time.

***

Squall paid for his ticket and entered the train.He knew it would be too risky to use the SeeD car, so he settled into one of the rear compartments.Fortunately, the train wasn't all that full and he got a room all to himself.He didn't really want to sit with anyone anyway, so that was a blessing.

He removed his holster and set it and his gunblade on the seat next to him.Slumping down in the seat, Squall suddenly began to feel quite tired again…

The night before…when had it all gone wrong?It probably had to be about midway through the evening when…

***

… "Rinoa don't you think we should go?" It was early yet, but Squall was eager to leave.The party was nice and all, but he'd have enjoyed a quiet night alone with Rinoa even more.

"Oh, just a little while longer," pleaded Rinoa, "Hey!" Rinoa's ears seemed to perk up as she listened to the band start up again, "They're playing another song.Let's go dance."She took a sip of her drink and grabbed his hand.

"Alright," replied Squall.He allowed himself a small smile for her benefit.They stood and went back to the dance floor.

It wasn't until a half an hour later that the two sat down again.Rinoa yawned; it looked as if she was beginning to tire.

"You look exhausted," observed Squall, "Do you want to…"

"No!" she interrupted.She looked at him with suddenly flush with anger.She let out an exasperated breath, "Is that all you care about?You just want to get the Hell out of here is that it?"

Where had that come from?Suddenly it didn't seem like Rinoa at all.All he could do was give her a perplexed look at her sudden burst of resentment.She downed her glass of wine and stood.

The normally cheerful girl gave him a look that she normally reserved for someone she hated, "You wanna go Squall?Fine!I'm outta here too!Thanks for the _lovely_ evening!"With that she stormed out of the ballroom.The last he saw of her was the train of her sunshine-yellow dress as it slid from view.

For a moment Squall just sat there with a dumbfoundedlook on his face.For the life of him, he couldn't understand what had provoked Rinoa to act like that.Quickly regaining his composure though, Squall stood as well. Fortunately, the music had been loud enough to drown out most of Rinoa's heated, one-sided conversation.He himself didn't understand what had happened so he was glad that he wouldn't have to explain it to anyone else.

"Hey Squall!"he'd spoken too soon.Squall turned to see Selphie coming up with Irvine close in tow."What was that all about?" asked Irvine.He held his hands up for emphasis.

This immediately was followed by a sharp poke to the ribs by Selphie, "You are so insensitive!" she complained.This was followed by some grumbling.Then she said, "Rinoa looked mad.What was that all about?"

Squall looked at the door that Rinoa had made he abrupt exit through."I don't know."

Chapter 2: Where Magic Died

"Come on, kids!"called the young woman.Standing on a near-grassless hill, she looked out to where the children were playing.They seemed so happy, without a care in the world.

The wind blew, causing her long hair to blow wildly into her face.Terra pushed her green locks back, only to have them whip into her face again.

She smiled.The young woman had spent two and a half years watching over the children of Mobliz, and it had been more than a year since the defeat of Kefka, but she never tired of being with them.It was as it she had grown to be the mother of those dozen children…they were her children now.

"Coming Terra!" she heard one of the children call.It was Colleen, a spunky fifteen year old who took care of the other children if Terra ever had to leave for supplies.She came running up the hill, the other's not far behind.

When they got to her, Terra said, "It's getting dark.I want everyone to go inside where it's safer."

There was a chorus ofwhines, but then Colleen spoke up again, "Alright.Are you going to be alright, Terra?"

"Of course," Terra assured.She had already explained that she was going to go to Thamasa to get supplies.They had been short on medical herbs and potions for some time now, and were in danger of running out soon.Thamasa seemed like the ideal place to get more."Don't worry, I got a hold of some of my friends and they said that they would give me a lift," she smiled again, trying to instill some confidence into the other children.

One by one, they went off towards the house, but Colleen stayed behind.

For a moment, neither she nor Terra said a word.But Terra broke the silence saying, "I'll be fine, really."She hugged the girl, "I know that you worry about me, but I promise I'll come back."

Colleen nodded, and took a step back."I know," she replied.She turned and ran up to the house.

***

The next morning Terra bid her children farewell.Even with her less than keen hearing, she could tell Setzer's airship when she heard it.

She knew the fastest way to get anywhere these days was by airship, but still, it was times like these that Terra yearned to have her Esper powers back.With them, she could morph and fly to the next town and back in a matter of hours.

As it was, it would take about a day and a half until she could be back to Mobliz…although that was still better than walking.

Terra sighed.

She really hated to leave her children, but she couldn't think of that now.She would be back after all.

***

As the roaring engines ceased, Terra approached Setzer's airship and smiled slightly.The silver-haired pilot peaked over the edge and greeted her warmly.A moment later another man looked down at her.

She never would have expected to see him there.Not for her anyway.His kingdom had always been his first passion.The blond haired King waved to her and then threw down a rope ladder.

"Edgar," Terra called excitedly as she climbed, "What are you doing here?"

Edgar waved.Then when she was near the top of the ladder, he helped her aboard."I needed some fresh air," he finally responded, "That drafty old castle of mine can be so boring compared to the skies…" he paused and smiled, "Or so Setzer tells me."

Terra looked to Setzer and he said, "I stopped over at Figaro castle to refuel, and he was so delighted that I was coming to see you that he practically _begged_ me to take him with me."

Edgar flushed slightly, but said nothing.

Terra smiled inwardly._Probably to have another shot at the only woman that could resist his charm_, Terra thought.Truthfully though, he had never really tried to romance her.Flirt, yes.But never a whole hearted attempt to win her affections.And though she probably never would have given him the time of day, Terra mused, she felt the smallest tinge of jealousy that he never tried.

…Not that she'd ever show it.

The love of her children was all she ever felt she needed.Romance was a luxury that she could do without…

"I'm sure he did," Terra finally responded.Shaking herself from her thoughts she walked to the center of the Falcon's bridge.

Setzer looked at Edgar and smirked, but said, "We'll be under way as soon as you're ready Terra."

Terra sighed, "The sooner the better," she told him, "I want to get this supply run over as soon a possible so I can get back.

Chapter 3: **Wings of the Black Bird**

"Now approaching Timber," called a voice over the p.a. system"One minute until arrival."

Squall looked up.Had he fallen asleep?What time was it?Whatever.As long as he got to Timber it didn't really matter.He looked sullenly at the door and then began to gather up his things.Lastly, he re-attached his gunblade to his belt.

Standing, Squall opened the door and walked out.He actually half expected the train security to be waiting for him, but the halls were empty save the others who were preparing to leave.He breathed a sigh of relief.

The train came to a stop and the anxious man quickly made his way to the nearest exit.

Squall looked out into Timber.Things really hadn't changed that much since the forest town had been liberated.In truth, there were a few differences.Most noticeably of which was that there were no more Galbadian soldiers occupying the city.In general, the place looked cleaner and brighter.Most of the buildings still looked run down, although a few of them had a new coat of paint slapped on them.

Really, it was a cheerful and disheartening sight.Squall only wished that he could let himself be caught up in the moment.But he couldn't.

Stepping away from the station, Squall noticed a television in a shop window.What was surprising about it was that there was a picture of Balamb Garden on it.He quickly headed toward the back alleys.He definitely didn't want to be seen here, and he knew that that news cast had been about him.Now Timber, if not the whole world would be on the look out for him.Squall grunted in annoyance at the idea.Not exactly his idea of a good time.__

***

Two eyes focused on Squall as he made his way through the alleys.From the top of a building, a man watched as the fugitive quickly moved, thinking that no one had seen him.

_Well he's in for a surprise_, the man thought as he ran his fingers through his strawberry-blond hair, _things are looking up_.The man checked his equipment; his sword was still firmly attached to its magnetic sheath.He smiled to himself and began to follow squall, hopping silently from rooftop to rooftop.

***

Squall finally made his way to the edge of Timber.The great expanse before him was quite breath taking.But where should he go now?Perhaps Dollet or Deling City…no, that would accomplish nothing.With their levels of technology, they would have heard of what happened by now and would be on the lookout.Then maybe Fisherman's Horizon.Squall remembered that the transcontinental bridge was not far from Timber.And with that towns limited technology, it would be easy to hide out there for quite awhile without any news getting to the place.

That's where he would head then.It was a good ten miles to the coast so he knew it would be dark before he made it to the old abandoned bridge.

Just then, Squall thought he heard he heard a noise behind him.He looked, but saw nothing but a stray cat.Squall shook his head and smiled a small smile.He couldn't jump at _every_ noise he heard.He had to calm down some.

So Squall began his trek.He hoped to make good time so that he wouldn't be out in the open for too long.

Five minutes later, Squall looked up.The sun was still high in the sky.He shaded his eyes from the bright light.If he could keep up the same pace all day, he would make it to the coast by sundown.

Suddenly, Squall heard another noise and this time he was sure he heard it.It sounded like a boot hitting the ground.He spun sharply around to see a man not ten feet away from him.

The man was about his height, probably about 5' 8".He had strawberry-blond hair that was slicked back.His eyes were blue, but seemed to have a strange violet hue to them.This man wore a black leather jacket similar to Squall's, but was wearing a black shirt under it.His choice of weapons was quite different too; on his back was a large flat bladed, double-edged sword.It had to be a good meter in length.The sword appeared to be strapped to the man's back in some fashion.

The blond man smiled at him, "So you're _the_ Squall Leonhart."It wasn't even a question.Whoever this guy was knew him pretty well.

"And who are you?" questioned Squall.

"Name's Raven.Raven Ebony.I've come to you because there seems to be a little problem."

"And what would that be?" asked Squall skeptically.He was sure he wouldn't like the answer."

"Quite simply," stated Raven, "There's a bounty on your head and I'm low on cash!"

With that, Raven drew his sword and bullishly charged at Squall with all the strength he could muster.But Squall knew that he could use his impatience against him though and clip this over-sized crow's wings.

Squall un-sheathed his gunblade, side-stepped, and easily parried the attack.Then, he spun around and slammed the blunt side of his weapon into the aggressor's stomach.

Raven doubled over and exhaled sharply, stumbling to the ground.Though he quickly rolled forward and stood again.Holding his blade like a shield, Raven backed off to lick his wounds."Not bad," he commented, "But not good enough."For a moment, a burst of light surrounded Raven signifying that he had just reached his limit break.Like a carnivorous bird about to corner its prey, Raven called out, "Blade Beam!"and before Squall could react, the man held out his sword in front of him. A surge of white light streamed from it and hit Squall so hard that it flung him to the ground, knocking the wind out of him.

Squall felt like he had been hit by a truck.Using his Gunblade as a support, he staggered back to his feet.He had an idea, but it would take a bit to pull off.He'd have to stall Raven while he completed the summon.

"You're not bad either," Squall threw out.

"Yes I am good aren't I," replied Raven with a short chuckle, "Now if you'll come with me, I'll turn you into the nearest authorities."

"Not likely," replied Squall.

Quite smug now, Raven retorted, "What are you gonna do?"

He didn't answer.Taking a rugged breath, Squall merely said, "Hell Fire."

Raven's eyes grew wide as Squall faded from view only to be replaced by a wall of fire.From the fire a huge demon-like creature was birthed.It looked at Raven and gave a near deafening roar.A few seconds later, the Ifrit rose into the air followed by a huge, flaming ball of earth and sulfur.With another howl, The creature hit the ball of fire and sent it hurling down to incinerate its target.

It would have finished Raven for good too if he hadn't chosen that moment to defend himself with his large sword.He was spared from the burning flame, but the giant ball of cinders pile-drived him to the ground.

The summon ended, and Squall reappeared to see Raven on the ground.

Raven looked up at him, "Ouch…" he breathed, and then promptly passed out cold.

***

When Raven woke again it was nearly dark.Something rancid was in the air.The blond man opened his weary eyes so see Squall a few feet away from him.He was standing over a small fire turning what looked like a Funguar over a makeshift spit.Squall appeared to be roasting the mushroom-like creature for a meal.

"I thought those things weren't edible," said Raven weakly.He scrunched his face as the distasteful odor it gave off once again wafted into his nostrils.

"They are edible," replied Squall, "Just not very palatable."

Raven sat up, and noticed that he was unarmed, but not bound, "I'm surprised you didn't tie me up."Not only that, but he was also surprised that he was still alive.Raven had heard how Squall had butchered Sorceress Rinoa.He'd also heard rumors that he was heading to Timber.That's how he'd managed to find the renegade.However, if that monster had killed someone he loved in such a grotesque manor, why would he think twice about sparing him?Something wasn't adding up, but Raven knew that he was in no position to start asking questions.

"I would have tied you up," answered Squall, "but I didn't have any rope." He shrugged, then added, "Hope you don't mind but I used that blade of yours to prepare this thing."

"You've gotta be kidding!" Raven blurted out.He was now quite perturbed, "Funguar blood is like acid!"

"It is acid. Don't worry, I cleaned it off," retorted Squall.He smiled at Raven's annoyance.

Raven folded his arms and gave a small snort, "Then I suppose I should thank you right," he said sarcastically.

"Whatever."

"What's your problem?"

"Nothing."

"Hmmm…" voiced Raven.He smiled and gave a small chuckle, "Well if you don't beat all."

Chapter 4: Be careful what you wish for

Their journey to Thamasa went off without a hitch.It had taken longer than expected though.Setzer's airship had experienced engine troubles which had taken a few hours to repair.At least now they were heading back again.Setzer said he would be taking a shortcut over the ocean that would take an hour or two off the flight.She thanked him for that small favor.

Again Terra found herself wishing she had her Esper powers back.She shook her head…_Why bother wishing for something you can't have and never really understood, anyway_?She scolded herself.

While Setzer piloted the ship above, Terra and Edgar were sitting on the lower deck.The green-haired girl sighed and let her head sink into her hands.She had a bad feeling.Something that had been bugging her ever since her talk with Colleen.It was nothing, of course.Nothing substantial anyway.She just wanted to be back…

Edgar noticed her discomfort and motioned for her attention."Terra," he questioned, a thoughtful look on his face, "Are you feeling alright?"

Terra looked up at him, her face even, emotionless as ever, and said, "Nothing to be concerned about.I'm just a little anxious to get to Mobliz, that's all."She flicked a few strands of green hair out of her eyes, only to have them fall right back down again.With a small sigh of exasperation, she finally decided to ignore it.

Edgar scrutinized her expression for a moment."You mustn't worry about them so much," he told her, seemingly reading her mind.Terra smiled inwardly.Edgar always had had a knack for getting to the bottom of what was bothering her.He continued, "Some of those children are almost as old as you.They have to learn how to got along by themselves someday.One day, they'll leave to make lives for themselves…"

The King of Figaro stopped.He must have seen the pained look on her face.She knew that the children of Mobliz would leave one day…that one day, she would be alone again.Terra really didn't want to think about it though.It just made her yearn to be with them all the more.

"I'm sorry Terra," he continued, "I don't mean to hurt you but it make it no less true…"

Terra was about to tell him that it was alright, but the ship suddenly lurched and sent them both sprawling to the floor.Terra hit her head as she fell.The lights dimmed, and for a moment, Terra wondered if it had been caused by the blow, but she soon realized that the ships electrical lighting had failed.

Edgar stood and helped the girl to her feet, but the airship reeled again, sending them both to the ground again.Terra fell on top of Edger and was unpleasantly greeted by his auto-crossbow when it poked her in the ribs.She ignored the pain, and quickly righted herself.

The girl looked at the spot on her side…fortunately none of the arrows from Edgar's crossbow had pierced her.

"What in blaze is going on?" exclaimed Edgar.

Terra didn't have an answer, "We'd better find out!" then she suggested, "Let's go above deck!"

***

When they got there, Edgar found Setzer frantically piloting the Falcon.He sent the airship into a dive, apparently trying to avoid something.That 'something' very quickly made itself known…

The large Pterodactyl swooped at them again.Setzer barely had time to dodge it, but some how managed to pull up in time.

It was then that Edgar noticed that the ship was dangerously close to the ocean.Perhaps no more than twenty feet above the surface.The waters stirred as the wind washing over the ship caused waves and mist to spew forth from the murkiness.The air filling with salty brine.

Setzer pulled up, attempting to keep the dinosaur-like dragon from forcing the Falcon into the ocean.Edgar heard the silver-haired man curse under his breath as the engines of the ship strained.

Edgar pulled out his auto-crossbow and pulled the trigger, sending a spew of metallic arrows at the flying creature.The Pterodactyl roared in pain as the arrows pierced its side.

It retaliated in a way that Edgar wouldn't have expected.

Without warning, the air filled with static and Edgar's hair stood on end.Sparks flew and the blue lightning of Bolt3 arched through the air.

Edgar barely had time to dodge the bolt of energy before it struck, hitting the deck of the ship and splintering the boards not far from where he had stood.The blast sent bits of smoldering wood flying in every direction.

"What the Hell?"Setzer cried out.

"It's using magic!" exclaimed Terra.

Edgar shook his head, "But I thought that there was no more magic!" he questioned.

"There shouldn't be!" Terra replied.She was thrown back as another lightning blast struck.Terra hit the ground hard, but leapt back up.She cradled her right arm, but otherwise looked alright.That's when it happened…

Taking advantage of Terra's disorientation, the creature swooped down and slammed into her with all its might.She went flying back, and fell right over the edge of the ship…

Then nothing…

Edgar ran to where he had seen Terra fall, and searched frantically for her form in the water.He saw nothing but the murky ocean below.

"Turn around!" commanded Edgar, "We have to find her!"

Not that the pilot wouldn't have done so anyway.Slowly, the big ship lumbered around in a loop and began moving in the opposite direction.

After a moment, Setzer looked back to the blond-haired man, "Any sign of her or the Pterodactyl?" he queried.

Edgar shook his head, "None…" he looked up to meet Setzer's gaze, "That thing was using magic," he breathed.

"I know," the gambler replied.

"But there should be no magic…" Edgar paused, remembering the final fight with Kefka, "We destroyed the statues, and the Espers are all gone."

Setzer shrugged, "Not all of them…" Edgar gave him an odd glance, so Setzer clarified himself, "Remember that Terra is half Esper.Even if her power has been drained away, the blood of the Espers still courses through her veins.Then there is that shard of Magicite that she keeps in that pendent around her neck. It is all that remained of her father I believe."

Edgar nodded, "Yes, but that still doesn't explain how magic can exist without a source."

Setzer turned back to the wheel and was silent for several moments.Then, without looking back to him, he said, "If I was a gambling man," he smiled, almost ruefully, "I would say that something has found another source of power," he momentary glanced back at him before turning back to the wheel of the ship, "It would be arrogant of us to thing that all the power of the cosmos was held within three statues on _our_ planet."

"What are you suggesting?"

"I don't know," Setzer replied curtly, "A better question might be – what are we going to do now?"

Edgar turned his attention back to the sea, "We can't give up on Terra yet.She's a strong girl; we have to find her!"

"Right," responded Setzer.

They continued on, but Edgar couldn't help but ponder what Setzer had said.Where could that creature have gotten such strong magic?He was almost afraid to find out.Right now though, all the King could do was worry.For he knew that he might never see his friend again.

Chapter 5: Bridging the Gap

They were silent for awhile.Squall didn't like Raven at all.He reminded him of himself…at least himself if his was sarcastic and jovial.The man was really beginning to grate on his nerves.Though, if he let the man go before he himself was ready to leave, Raven would probably have Timber's police force swarming on him in minutes.

Squall broke off a piece of the rancid roast and handed it to Raven, then took a piece for himself.

Raven carefully waited for Squall to take the first bite (probably waiting to see if it was poisonous) and then took a bite himself.Upon tasting it, Raven turned several shades of green and started gagging unbearably.After a moment, he managed to choke it down.

Squall laughed inwardly at the man's discomfort, but was careful not let it show.A moment later, Raven recovered and in a totally deadpan voice he said, "Better than I thought it would be."With that, he took another bite.

When he had eaten all that he could pallet, Raven asked, "So why did you do it?"

Squall looked down, not really wanting to answer questions, "Why'd I do what?"

Raven's expression became harder, "You know what I mean you piece of crap!Why did you kill that sorceress?"

The SeeD balled his hands into fists, "I didn't!" he hissed through clenched teeth.

"Yeah sure," rebuked Raven, "The evidence is piled up against you."

"That's what I don't understand," protested Squall, "There was so much evidence.But how?"

"Playing the innocent 'til the end, huh?"

Squall looked at Raven coldly, "You want to know what really happened that night?"

Raven shrugged, "I could use a good laugh."

Squall ignored that."We had a fight; that I'll admit. I didn't really understand what made her so mad…then again I never do.Anyway, after she stormed out…"

***

Selphie had suggested that maybe Rinoa had had too much to drink and that she would probably apologize in the morning.Squall accepted this because he didn't have a better explanation.

Now though, he just wanted to go back to his dorm.It was late and he was tired and mentally exhausted.All he wanted to do was sleep.

So tired.

This was more than he wanted to think about.Maybe Selphie was right and things would better in the morning.Maybe…

Squall reached his dorm room but merely leaned his head against it.He didn't even have the strength to open the door.A moment later, he noticed that the halls were beginning to fill.The ball must have ended.

Since he didn't want to talk to anyone, Squall quickly unlocked his door and opened it.What he saw next made his heart stop.At first he couldn't tell what it was.It looked like a lump on the floor, but he knew it hadn't been there when he left for the party.Squall turned on the light.

He gasped.

Laying in a heap on the floor was Rinoa.That wasn't the worst part though.Impaled in the young woman's abdomen was _his_ gunblade.

Squall silently walked up to the fallen angel and tried to calmly examine her.He failed and started to hyperventilate.Upon examination, he found that the blade portion of his weapon had not only been run threw her, but it had also been driven about three inches into the floor…she had been on the ground.She had been killed on the ground!Rinoa never had a chance!It had been cold-blooded…

"Murder…" came a shocked young voice from behind him.Squall realized that he had left the door open.Not that closing it had been a priority.Squall turned to see a cadet standing there.The boy gulped and squeaked, "You…didn't!You did!"With that he turned and ran back out the door.

Squall's mind was racing.None of this made sense

To him.What would happen next made him tense

Up all over again.Security 

Would lock him up, but he had to be free…

Free to find out what had really happened.He knew that security would be coming soon.So he grabbed his leather jacket and made a mad dash for the door…

***

"And that's what happened," finished squall.

"Wow,"said Raven.Squall noticed that Raven wouldn't meet his eyes.Maybe he believed him."I'm sorry," he added after a moment.

"Yeah, well…"Squall didn't feel like talking anymore.He was tired.He looked up, "I don't care what you what you do.You can leave and call every police official on the continent for all I care.It doesn't matter anymore.I'm too tired…all I want now is sleep."

With that Squall laid down and closed his eyes.

***

Quistis entered the security office.She waited nervously for the Chief of Security to look up from his paperwork.At first she thought that maybe he hadn't heard her come in.But after a moment he said, "Have a seat miss Trepe."He didn't even look up.

She complied and sat on one of the plain wooden chairs that were by his desk..This was only the third time she had been in this office and it still chilled her as to how unadorned and sterile is was.

A few minutes later, he set his papers down and looked up at her.

The security chief was a tall, gaunt and muscular man with a long narrow nose.He was almost completely bald.The man always carried an air of superiority.Even now he was looking down at her through his spectacles.

"You found him?" he questioned.

"Yes Mr. Kash," Quistis replied.

"And you put the tracking device on his gunblade, correct," he asked.

"I did," she responded, "We can track him from half way around the world."

"Excellent you may go."

Quistis stood and was about to turn and leave, but something didn't add up, "Sir," she began, "If you are so sure that Squall is guilty, then why not just arrest him?"

Kash's expression grew dark, "Yours is not to ask questions, miss Trepe," he stated coldly, "I want to know what he's up to.Now I am very busy so you are **_dismissed_**!"

Without another word, Quistis left.Something was wrong though.There was definitely somethingstrange going on here.

***

Squall awoke just as the sun was beginning to rise.He opened his eyes…well, there was one good thing – there wasn't a squad of Battalion Aids standing over him.Squall sat up and looked around.

He was surprised to see that Raven was still there.He was soundasleep by the burned out ashes of the camp fire.Squall just about laughed – Raven looked almost serine.Not at all like the crazed man that had tried to kill him just the day before.

Squall also noticed another thing.Raven had taken his sword back.Not really surprising.Raven looked like the type that found comfort in weapons and not people.Again this reminded him of himself…or at least the way he used to be.

Just then, Raven stirred and yawned.A moment later, he opened his eyes.Looking at Squall, Raven only smiled.He seemed to be a cheerful morning person.Very much _unlike_ Squall."Hope you don't mind me re-arming myself," he said casually.

"Depends on what you do with it," retorted Squall.

Raven held his hands up in front of him in a 'hey I wasn't gonna' gesture.Then he said, "By the way.Speaking ofweapons, I was looking at yours last night.You know just to try and figure out how it works."

"You touched it?" questioned Squall.He didn't really like the idea.But probably no more that Raven had liked the idea that Squall had used his blade to clean last night's dinner.

"Yeah, sorry," Raven's expression didn't change, "But did you know that there is a tracking device under the barrel of the gun part?"

"Yes," replied Squall.It was true enough.He had suspected that there was a tracer on it from the moment Quistis had given it to him.He simply wasn't sure where it was.Squall continued, "I was going to remove it when I got to Fisherman's Horizon, that way the Garden wouldn't know when I had left there."

"Clever," commented Raven.

They both stood.

"So where are you going to go now?" Squall asked Raven.

Raven smiled a small smile, "With you of course."

"What?"

Raven sheathed his weapon, "If you were lying to me last night, I have every intention of taking you in.So I'm gonna stay with you until we 'really' find out who killed your little girlfriend of yours."

Squall frowned, not liking his tone, "Whatever."

***

The sun was high in the sky as Squall and Raven reached the Trans-Continental Bridge.The two warriors had been silent since their departure from the Timber Area.Neither of them broke the tense silence, mainly because neither one of them trusted the other.

Finally however, as the two stepped on to the bridge, Raven spoke, "So what made you decide to take up the gunblade anyway?I've heard it is a difficult weapon to master."

Squall looked to his travel companion, "I dunno.It wasn't that difficult for me to learn.I guess I always knew that it would be my weapon," he shrugged, "How about you?That sword of yours looks pretty difficult to master as well?"

"True, but the Blade's benefits do outweigh its setbacks," a little color came across Raven's face.

"Oh."Again the two were silent, however, this time Squall broke the stillness saying, "Why are you really coming with me?"

"I told you I don't trust you!" Raven snapped.The blond man's blue eyes seemed to glow with anger.However, after a moment, Squall realized that the 'glow' was from tears.Raven blinked and wiped his eyes.He looked down, no longer able to meet Squall's gaze, "You're not the only one who has lost a loved one."

Squall put his hand on Raven's shoulder.Raven started to shrink away, but finally decided to accept the comfort."You wanna talk about it?" asked Squall.

"Alright…"

"It was about three and a half months ago," began Raven, "I and my partner…no, we were more than just partners.We loved each other deeply."

"Her name was Athena, a genetically enhanced woman with abilities that bordered on being empathic.She and I met in our early teens and we never left each other."

"Enough about that though.Just before all that business with the sorceress started, Athena and I received word that the town of Winhill was being harassed by a small army of Galbadian soldiers.I suggested that we let you guys handle it, but she was always the warrior…she insisted that we help."

Raven sighed, "There were more of them that we expected.Winhill's defenses just weren't enough.Athena was mortally wounded and died in my arms."

"I feel as though it's my fault," stated Raven, "I wasn't there for her when she needed me the most."

"It wasn't your fault," said Squall, not believing that actually taking the time to listen to someone else's problems.Maybe Rinoa had taught him something after all.

"So I've been told," sulked Raven, "But I've also been told that if you keep someone in your heart that they'll always be with you,"he looked up at Squall with a hard expression, "Trust me, it's not the same."

Squall didn't know what to say to that.After a moment, he decided to change the subject a little."You said that she was genetically enhanced.How?"

Raven's expression softened a little, "You ever heard of elves?"

Squall wasn't sure if the man was saying something relevant of not, "Yeah.They're supposed to be mythical creatures; things out of storybooks."

The blond nodded, "Yeah, but apparently they're not so mythical, because Galbadia got a hold of one and did all kinds of horrific experiments to him.One of these was an attempt at creating a hybrid."

"That's inhumane!" although Squall was curious how SeeD intelligence had never found out such a thing.Maybe the operation had been well masked…or maybe…

"You'll get no argument from me.Seriously though, I have always suspected that that 'elf' Galbadia found was really a Shumi that had taken a different course of…ummm…development.But she always said 'elf'and had the pointed ears to prove it so I never disputed her claim."

"How did you find her?" asked Squall.

"By accident really.I was in Deling when I stumbled across the facility that was keeping her.I rescued her of course.I wassurprised as to just how old she seemed.She was only twelve at the time, and I fifteen, but I'd've sworn that she was older than me.She was treated well apparently, but something must have happened to her, because she barely had an ounce of innocence left in her."

Squall raised an eyebrow as he thought.Then he inquired, "You said she was empathic.Are you?"

"No," said Raven nonchalantly, "But she did teach me a thing or two about sensing energy around me," he rubbed his head, "Never quite got the hang of it though."

Raven seemed to be in better spirits now and Squall was actually glad.Maybe this alliance wasn't such a bad thing after all.

Chapter 6: What Dreams are Made of

Night pervaded as the two weary soldiers entered Fisherman's Horizon.They had been walking all day, and both of them were tired.

They quickly checked at the Inn and were pleased to find that there was one room left.They took it and settled in for the night…

***

"Squall!"

Squall turned to see Rinoa standing there.The room was dark, but she seemed to glow with her own luminescence.Rinoa looked as she had at the dance.Her yellow ball gown was beautiful.She was beautiful.

How could this be?Wasn't Rinoa…

"Squall," Rinoa repeated, more softly this time.

"What is it?"

"It's your fault!"she replied.That look of hatred had returned.

"What?"

"You made me so angry, but when I went to apologize, I was killed!It's you're fault."

She turned from him.The girl that had seemed to shine a moment before now appeared to be not only dark but absorbing all the light around her.It couldn't be true.

"Rinoa I…" Squall looked down, but suddenly he realized what was happening, "You're not Rinoa."

The girl looked at him again.Not with hatred, but fear.The apparition slowly faded, and the surrounding scene began to change.

The area around him looked like a world built on a sunset.There was nothing above him, and nothing below his feet.Only warmth.The air caressed his face, like a million fingers ora ray of sunshine.

He knew she was there. Squall could feel her…and this time it _was_ her.

"Rinoa!"he called out, but he didn't make a sound.Nothing came out.Squall was beginning to become frustrated; he could find her and couldn't speak.What was going on?

That's when he heard her, not as a ringing in his ears like the phantom, but in his mind and heart.

_*Helpus* _the silent voice pleaded, *_Please help us*_.

_*Squall!It's me Rinoa.I'm communicating with you through telepathy, using my sorceress powers. *_

_Rinoa!_Squall thought, _Where are you?_

_*I don't know!I was unconscious when they brought me here*_

_Rinoa, I thought you were dead!I found your body!_

_*I know.They wanted you to think that.They didn't want anyone searching for me.*_

Her insistent voice continued, *_Squall, we don't have much time left.I think these people are going to do something horrible to us.*_She paused for a moment, *_Squall!They are coming for you!Run!If you are caught you'll never find me!Hurry, find Ellone!*_

The world around him began to collapse as quickly as it had come to life.Squall felt his body jerk and knew that he was about to wake.

***

There was an incessant low pitch hum in the air.Squall sat up in the bed.He knew that sound.He had heard it many times before.And only one thing made that noise.

"Garden!" said Squall aloud.From the sound of it was probably still about a mile away.They would still have to hurry if they were to escape.

He lookeda Raven who was still asleep."Wake up!" called Squall, "The Garden is about to dock with F.H."

Raven was up like a flash, gathering his things, "How do you know?"

"I'll tell you later," Squall replied.

Before leaving, Squall removed the tracking device from his gunblade and deposited it in the trash can.Hopefully that would slow them down.

The two ran through the town as quickly as they could.The Garden could easily be seen now.It was running with all of its lights on.It would probably finish docking in about thirty seconds.

Squall and Raven were about to jump back to the bridge when there was a cry, "Wait, Squall!"

He turned to see Selphie, Irvine, Zell, and Quistis standing by an old set of railroad tracks.

"What!?" asked the scarred man.He wasn't sure if they were about attack him or not.

"You really should come with us," Selphie suggested.

Zell piped in, "Yeah, man!I'm sure we can get this all straitened out."

"I can't stop now," stated Squall, "I think I'm on to something and I can't be stopped now."

"Are you sure?" asked Quistis.

"I think so," replied.

It was at this point that Selphie's eyes strode to Raven.Immediately forgetting that the man might be dangerous, she walked right up to him.

"And who's this hunk?" she asked gleefully.

Raven smiled, "Name's Ebony.Raven Ebony."He took her hand and kissed it.

Squall noticed the look that Irvine gave Raven, but Raven appeared not to take notice.However, Irvine restrained himself.Probably because he had done the same thing in front of Selphie one more than one occasion.

He shook his head."Raven.We'd better go before Garden security finds us."

Raven looked to Squall, "Right," then he looked back to Selphie."A pleasure meeting you milady."

The two jumped down to the bridge below.A few seconds later, Squall heard a sharp *slap* and Selphie's heated voice saying, "Why don't _you_ ever treat me like that."

Squall chuckled to himself.Then, when they were out of earshot of the others, he asked, "Hey Raven.Are you actually attracted to Selphie?"

Raven shook his head and smiled, "No, I just wanted to make her boyfriend jealous. So how did you know that the Garden was coming anyway?"

Squall was silent for a moment.Then he said, "I think…Rinoa told me."

"Squall," Raven said sympathetically, "Rinoa is dead.There is no way that she could have told you."

"That's just it," said Squall, "I think she's alive.An there was something else…"

***

More than tree hours later, Quistis was once again was once again standing in Security Chief Kash's office.

"We've been scouring the city for hours," she explained, "but we haven't found him.However the tracking device says that he is still in F.H."

"Call off your search," Kash ordered, "I have reason to believe that he is no longer in Fisherman's Horizon.He is more than likely heading further up the Trans-Continental Bridge.Set a course for Esther."

"Why Esther, sir," questioned Quistis, hoping she could squeeze some more information out of him.

"Because that's where we'll find him miss Trepe!Dismissed!"

After she left, the now very annoyed Kash glared at nothing in particular as he attempted to figure out why Squall would be going to Esther.

After a moment he came to the conclusion, "He knows."

***

As the sun began to rise, Raven and Squall approached the Great Salt Lake.The ancient dried out lake was as creepy as ever.The air stank of death and brine.

"I've never been here before," admitted Raven.

They began their journey through the bones and pillars of salt."Trust me, you didn't miss anything," Squall responded.He carefully stepped over a fragment of a skull.

Eying the landscape around him, Squall frowned.It was quiet.Quiet enough that he could hear his own footfalls.He drew his gunblade, and a moment later Raven readied his own weapon.

Both were very aware of that any one of the piles of bones around them could very well be an undead creature.A foul wind blew.

Suddenly it wasn't so quiet.Squall heard something, and if he didn't know better, he'd have sworn it was…breathing.Although he tried to localize it, he just couldn't figure out where it was coming from.

The earth abruptly shifted as something big hit the ground.Squall turned around and was shocked at what he saw.Coming up behind them was what looked like an oversized skeletal T-Rexaur.Only it appeared to have bony wings fused to its spinal cord.

It eyed the pair hungrily and roared.Flapping its wings, it made a flying leap and landed practically on top of the pair.

Both of them rolled out of the way just as it swiped at them with its talon-like claws.

Squall looked to Raven, "If you've got some Holy spells use them," he advised as he cast holy on the undead dinosaur.It roared in pain and took another swipe at him.

Raven shook his head, "I would if I could, but I don't trust GFs enough to use them.And no GF…"

"No magic," finished Squall, "Great!"

Squall cast Ultima on the creature but was forced to back off when it started flailing wildly.

Raven on the other hand attempted to seize the opportunity to charge the beast.It was much to his dismay when the creature flung its tail around and smacked him back.Raven hit hard against a pillar of rock salt.

At first Squall was sure that he'd been killed, or knocked out at least, but Raven surprised him when he hopped back to his feet.

He looked to Squall and said, "That's it! This think is mine!"At that moment, Raven reached his limit break and was surrounded by a red glow, "Psychic Blade!" he called out.

Raven held his blade up to the heavens and began to concentrate all of his emotional energy - his hate, anger, pain and love -into it.Soon his weapon was literally glowing with power.Then, as if he was being propelled by a rocket, Raven launched himself forward and began to mercilessly slash at the creature.Every strike cut off a claw, wing, or limb, and every strike hit its mark.

The undead beast fell to the ground, but even then tried to get up again.

Raven still wasn't finished.He leapt back a good two meters and held his blade in front of him.Aiming right at the creature's head, he fired a beam of white light at it.When it hit the creature, its skull exploded.After that, the undead monster fell again, crumbling to the ground.This time it didn't get up.

***

"That was an awesome attack," acknowledged Squall as they moved through the streets of Esther, "I didn't know that you had attacks that powerful."

The now exhausted Raven smiled, "There's a lot you don't know about me yet."He stumbled, but used his blade for support, "Unfortunately, that limit break takes a _lot _out of me."

"I can see."

They neared the capital building.Fortunately they had been able the more or less 'inattentive' Estherian guards.

"This is too easy," commented Raven.

It was true.They had received no opposition at all.There was something in the air.It was…anticipation.

"You're right," replied Squall.Then he noticed someone he recognized.He was a somewhat burly man, but also very powerful.He was tall, about seven feet in height and wore the garments of an Estherian official.

The man watched silently as the pair reluctantly walked up to him.

"Been awhile Ward," greeted Squall without changing his expression, "I see we were expected."

Ward nodded and motioned for Squall and Raven to follow him.They complied without a complaint.

Raven whispered to Squall, "He doesn't talk much does he?"

Squall whispered back, "He can't speak."

"Oh, sorry."

Ward looked back, but didn't seem particularly bothered.

Not long afterward, the two were standing in President Loire's office.Laguna was standing, looking out the window.As usual, he was in casual dress, not even wearing a tie.Laguna was the most unorthodox President Squall had ever meet.He ran the country by a strange mixture of admiration and pure luck.He was sure that if the older man hadn't had Kiros and Ward to help him explain away his eccentric notions, Laguna probably would have been unseated long ago.

The president was yet to acknowledge their presence.He probably wasn't sure of what to say.Not that he ever was really…

Squall took a moment to glance around the office.He noticed Kiros was there, as well as someone else.She was sitting at one of the high backed chairs by Laguna's desk.Whoever it was wasn't facing him and he couldn't tell who it was.

Laguna finally found his words, "Squall," he began, "I don't know what to say…"

_Duh,_ thought Squall._Say something anyway.I want to here it._

"You didn't do it did you?" Laguna turned to face him, "Did you?"

_Of course not!_ "No," Squall replied.

The president ran his fingers through his hair, "Garden security informed me that you were probably heading this way.They said I should arrest you on sight."His voice was somber, his words uneven.Maybe Laguna did know what he had to say – he just didn't want to say it.Was he about to be arrested?

"But I believe you," added Laguna, "But to prove it I want you to…to undergo a…sort of test."

"What sort of test?" Squall wasn't sure that he was following the man's ramblings.

Kiros chimed in, "I think he means a kind of 'lie-detector' test," he explained.

"Yeah.YEAH!"Laguna called out, "You know what they say; 'two bulls are better than one.'"

"I think that's 'two _heads_ are better than one.'" Kiros corrected.

Laguna looked at Kiros sheepishly for a moment, "Oh…yeah…right."He smiled.

Hoping to speed things up, Squall prompted, "Where is this lie-detector?"

"Right here," replied the woman in the chair.She had been silent up until now, but now she stood to reveal none other than Ellone.

"Sis!"exclaimed Squall.He was definitely glad to see her.If nothing else, it would save him the trouble of having to search for her.

"Hello Squall," she said with a smile, "So are you still willing?"

"Definitely!" he asserted, "I really want to find out what happened too."

"Then come sit beside me," prompted Ellone, she patted the seat next to her, "We'll find out what happened together.Let's take a look at what Rinoa was doing after the dance."

Squall did as he was told.Ellone took his hands in hers and began to concentrate.Squall waited to be flung back to Rinoa's past…however, nothing happened.

Ellone shook her head, "That's odd.I can't send you back.The only thing that could do that, is if Rinoa was dead already or unconscious.Let's try during the dance."She tried again, but it seemed to yield the same result, "Ok then.Let's try a little further back…"

She began again.This time though, Squall began to feel drowsy.The world around him began to whirl.Then, everything went dark…

***

Rinoa was getting ready for the dance.That much was obvious.She was only half dressed.She had on her negligee and a thin T-shirt.

She took the T-shirt off and began trying to put on her delicate ball gown without wrinkling or tearing it.

She finished after about a minute and smiled._I'm gonna knock Squall's socks off tonight_, she thought.After examining herself for a moment in her full-length mirror Rinoa sat down by her vanity and began to apply some make-up to her face.

She was about half way through, when there was a knock at the door.Turning around, she called out, "Is that you Squall?"

There was a brief pause, "Umm no miss," said a somewhat muffled female voice, "I've gotta package for you."

"Oh," said Rinoa glumly, "Be there in a sec."_Just some dumb package_! She thought.But maybe it would be something from Squall…then again, maybe it would be something from her father.Not that that would be all that bad either.

She stood and went to the door.Rinoa opened the door.What she saw make her gasp with shock.Staring at her from the other side of the door was a face that looked very much like her own.

Rinoa backed up, "Who are you?" she demanded.

The double smiled, "You of course.Or should I say your replacement?"With that, the double sprayed Rinoa in the face with come sort of mist.

She stumbled back, suddenly feeling very sleepy.She collapsed, but didn't even feel herself hit the ground…

***

Ellone disconnected and looked at Squall with sobered eyes."Squall didn't do it," she stated.

"That's great!" cheered Laguna.He looked to Kiros and Ward who were also smiling.

"I don't even think Rinoa is dead," Ellone continued, "I think this was all just an elaborate plan to kidnap her."

"But why would anyone want to kidnap her?" asked Laguna.

"She is the last Sorceress…"

Ellone was interrupted when the door to the office burst open and about a dozen of the Garden's security officers poured in.Each one of them had a gun or pistol of some sort.They were targeting Squall mostly but he knew that the others were in danger as well.

A moment later, Chief of security Kash strode into the room.He coldly looked at Squall."Arrest them all!"

"You have no authority here!" yelled Laguna.For once he was taking charge, "Let's work this out."

"My authority extends everywhere," responded Kash.He voice was perfectly even as if he actually believed what he said, "There is nothing to work out!"Then he addressed his subordinates, "Take them by whatever force necessary!"

The security guards immediately began to advance on them.They had their weapons trained on them, knowing that if they came much closer that they would have to use them.

Raven drew his blade and Squall un-holstered his own weapon.Both were ready and almost eager for combat.Squall held his gunblade out in front of him, his finger on the trigger.

For a moment, they all just stood there, none of them wanting to make the first move.Squall knew that summoning a GF in the room would destroy half the building so that was out.Perhaps there was another way though…

Without warning, Raven let out a cry and charged one of the soldiers.Everything started degrading rapidly.The security agents all opened fire at once.

Out of instinct, Squall shoved Ellone to the ground and was glad he did when several bullets whizzed past where her head had been.Ellone cried out in fear as she realized how close to death she had come.Squall wasn't very pleased either…with Raven that was.If only that hot head could have waited a few more seconds.Then maybe he could have thought of _something_.

But now he'd have to play it by instinct.

Squall pulled the trigger of his gunblade and a blinding flash filled the room.After he had stunned the 'enemy' with his light show, Squall charged and began to harshly plow the soldiers down.

Soon, between he and Raven, there were no more foes left.Squall looked to Kash, "You're the one who took Rinoa aren't you?"Squall's expression was one of pure fury.

"Now what would give you an idea like that?" asked Kash replied in an innocent tone.

"You're the only one that has the clearance to get her out of Garden without being noticed."

"Very good," commented Kash, "Quite the hero you are.But like any hero, you will ultimately be forgotten.You will _never_ find that sorceress!"

"Like Hell we won't!" spat out Raven.He launched himself on Kash and began beating him senseless.Or that was what he had in mind.However, Kash suddenly grabbed Raven by the shirt and tossed him across the room.It was an effortless move for the man and it made Squall somewhat weary to let Kash within arms length.

Squall was blown back when Kash abruptly cast Ultima and he landed not too far from Raven and the others.The magic blast was just enough to make Squall reach his limit brake.

"Renzokuken!" he called out.Squall felt his rage building within him.He unleashed his pain and anger and launched himself at Kash.

Kash cast Protect on himself but was still badly injured by Squall's repeated attacks.Shoving Squall out of the way, Kash rushed out the door.

Squall wanted to give chase, but had to make sure that the others were alright first.After helping Ellone and Laguna to their feet, Squall went over to Raven.

"You could have gotten us all killed!" he scolded angrily.

"They were about to open fire anyway!" Raven defended, "I could sense it!"

Squall gave him a skeptical look, "You sure?"

"Yeah."

"…Ok…" Squall turned to the other two, "Great!The one person that could have led us to Rinoa is long gone by now."

Ellone walked up and placed her soft hand on his shoulder.She didn't seem to care that his jacket was completely covered in dust, or that there was blood stained on the stiff leather.But that was Sis for you; she never really cared about what was on the outside, but only saw the person underneath.

"Squall," she said, shaking him from his thoughts, "If he knew where Rinoa was, we can look back in order to find out."

_That's right!_Squall thought, _how could I have forgotten?_"Would you?" he asked questioningly.

"Of course, Squall," she replied.

Moments later, Squall had his answer.It wasn't that surprising when he thought about it.In fact, he probably would have checked there eventually anyway.

"Where are we headed?" asked Raven.

"The Sorceress Memorial!"

Chapter 7: Clear as Glass: The Beginning of the End

Squall and Raven approached the old building.

Everything seemed to begin and end here.

This ancient building that beckoned him to where

His destiny lies.There would be no more cries

Of pain from within the walls.He would rise!

He _would_ rise from the very rubble of this building with Rinoa in his arms.He would burn the terrible edifice to the ground and make sure that the woman he loved was never taken from him again.

Squall's eyes narrowed, "Whoever is responsible for this will die!" he thought aloud.

Raven looked at him, "Where did that come from."

Squall didn't answer.

"Cool it, ok?" suggested Raven, "Can't go being all impulsive in there, right?"

Squall looked over at Raven, "You're one to talk…" he tried to suppress a smile but failed.Raven's ironic sense of humor had finally gotten to him.

"Now that's more like it!" Raven smiled back, "Come on!Let's go get the bad guys!"

***

The two men entered the Sorceress Memorial, and weren't surprised to find that all of the machinery was active.The building appeared to be devoid of any workers.Most notably Doctor Odine, the head of staff and research was missing.

They searched throughout the chambers, but Squall knew right where he would find her.And he was right…

In an almost eerie replay of the past, Squall saw her there, trapped within a chamber built specifically for holding sorceresses.She noticed them, and began frantically banging on the force field.

That's when Squall noticed that she wasn't alone.There was another woman in the cell with her.She didn't look up, but remained sitting on the floor, curled in a tight ball.Her clothes were torn, and the woman's long, red hair had fallen over her face.She looked to be a person that had given up hope…

"Athena?" Raven questioned.Of course she couldn't hear him, but the redhead looked up at Rinoa's prompting.She stared back at Raven in disbelief.Athena mouthed something that couldn't be heard, then put her hand against the barrier.

Raven looked to Squall, "How do we get them out of there?"

Squall shook his head, "I don't know…"The equipment that was supporting the barrier was different this time.There were computers and equipment all over the room that Squall knew weren't responsible for the maintaining of the field.Then what were they for?

"You don't!" came a gruff voice.It was Kash.Squall and Raven drew their weapons, but the man was ready for them.He cast Ultima point blank and sent them both to the ground.Raven fell into unconsciousness, and Squall could barely move.All he could do is watch as Kash strode up to one of the computer terminals and began to activate the machinery.

"Too much work has gone into this plan to let you interfere now," explained Kash in his usual tone of superiority, "All of them are in place now.We shall use their power to open the gate."

The chamber that housed Rinoa and Athena began to glow, and a hum filled Squall's ears.They grew in intensity until the light and sound drowned out everything else….Then the feeling of falling…


	2. Merging Journies (Part 2)

**Part** **Two******

Chapter 8: Legendary Esper

Terra slowly faded back into consciousness.She opened her eyes and found that she was in a glass cage of some sort.The room surrounding her was dark, and she couldn't make out much.

Her head ached, and her throat felt raw.Almost as if she had been screaming, but she couldn't remember anything.What had happened?Terra closed her eyes again, trying to recall what had happenedto her after she, Edgar and Setzer left Mobliz.

She thought as hard as she could.She and Edgar had been talking…what then?Terra couldn't remember.She vaguely remembered being poked in the ribs…the Falcon!It had been attacked!

The creature had tried to destroy the airship.

Terra's eyes opened and a gasp escaped her lips when she remembered the rest…The monster had used magic!But how?

"I see you're awake," came a disembodied voice.Terra heard the male voice chuckle, as if it was some sort of joke.She sat up, trying to get a better look at the source, but it was to no avail.

Terra hesitated.She pulled at her torn clothing, attempting to cover herself better. "Where am I?"

She could practically feel his smile…his eyes as they scrutinized her from the shadows, "All in good time, my dear," came the reply, "You have nothing to fear from me.At least as long as you do as I say."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Terra kept her voice as even as she could, trying not to betray her fear.Even though she could not see her captor, his aura seemed to permeate the very air around her.She could sense that he had no good intentions for her whatsoever.

"It means," he paused, "That you are being given a chance.You have already been infused with the first treatment, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if your senses have been enhanced somewhat.Even now you would probably be able to use your more basic abilities."

"Treatment?" Terra questioned in disgust.

"You have been infused with a substance formed of pure life energy.The magic of a different world…Materia."

Terra looked out at the shadows with rage clearly evident on her face.She had had enough with being experimented on.Terra thought that when she escaped from Kefka that the nightmare of "treatments" would end.But it seemed that even now she was plagued by those who would impose their wills on her.They had _NO _right to determine _her_ fate, "How _dare_ you experiment on me.What is this 'chance' that you actually think I would accept?"

He said simply, "Serve me and have your missing half restored."

"What makes you think I'd serve you?"

"Girl," the voice said cruelly.He laughed, "I said chance, not choice."

Her captor strode confidently from the shadows.When Terra saw him, she backed against the glass in fear.She was no longer able to suppress the terror that rose from within her.

"Hello, Terra..." It walked closer to the girl and smiled, exposing a mouth packed full with small, stinger-like teeth. 

Terra had always prided herself on keeping her cool no matter the situation, but this was too much even for her....Terra collapsed to the bottom of the chamber, holding herself in fetal position as he approached her.In his hand was a fist sized green orb.

And as he neared her, the orb flared to life…

Chapter 9: Separated

"Who the _Hell_ are you?" came a frantic, yet still somehow majestic call.

Squall grunted against the pain that wracked his entire body and struggled to open his eyes.Above him stood a tall man with long blond hair that was bound in a ponytail.He wore royal colors, and was covered in a blue cape.Though Squall's vision was too blurred to make out much else.

He opened his mouth to attempt an answer, but was only able to produce a faint gurgling noise.Squall's vision darkened, and he felt his body begin to let go.Though he fought it, unconsciousness took him.

***

He woke again, what felt like hours later.An incessant beeping filled the air. It was soft, but annoying none the less.Squall tried to think back to what had happened.He just didn't know.He'd nearly been blinded by that light…then the fall.

Squall grimaced.Kash, Rinoa, Athena…Raven!Where was Raven?Squall opened his eyes, and found that the source of the beeping was some sort of monitoring device.It looked as if he had ended up in some sort of hospital.People who looked like doctors and nurses were hurrying this way and that.

There was a silver-haired man sitting next to him.He sat shuffling a deck of cards and apparently hadn't noticed that Squall was awake.He studied the older man carefully for a moment, and finally decided that the man wasn't a threat.

"Hey," Squall said after a moment.He figured that he might as well try to find out what had happened.

The man looked up from what he was doing and eyed him cautiously, "Well, you're finally awake," he said with a bit of amusement, "You gave Edgar and I quite a scare.You fell from the sky and landed right on the deck of my airship."

"I fell from the sky?" Squall questioned.

The man nodded, "Yes.We were kinda hoping that you would be able to explain that.Though by the look on your face, I would bet that you don't.Name's Setzer by the way."

"Squall," he replied.The man was right too; he had no idea how he could have fallen from the sky.

"Well, Squall, I suppose it's true what they say."

"And what is that?"

"When things fall, they fall…" after a moment, Setzer brightened a bit, "Anyway, we thought you might die, so we brought you back to Figaro Castle to have you treated.You're lucky we were there," he continued, "We were about to call of our search for our missing friend and leave when you showed up.Strange though…I have a hunch that she wasn't there anyway," he looked back to his cards again.

"What about Raven?" questioned Squall in haste.At this point he really didn't care about keeping his cool.Something odd was going on, "Where is the man that was with me?"

"There was no one else," replied Setzer, "It there was, he probably fell into the ocean.I didn't see anyone though…"

_Damn_, thought Squall, _I hope that hot head didn't get himself killed_!

"If you're up to it," continued Setzer, "King Edgar would like to have a word with you."

"King Edgar?" Squall questioned.

The silver-haired man gave him a quizzical glance, "Don't tell me that you've never heard of King Edgar Figaro before."Squall explained that he hadn't.Setzer chuckled, "Well it seems that fate has thrown a new card into the deck."

***

Squall entered the thrown room of Figaro Castle and found the man he'd seen back on the airship sitting on one of the ornately decorated thrones.In his hands were Squall's Gunblade.

"You are King Edgar?" asked Squall.He gave the man a traditional SeeDsalute as a sign of respect.

"No formalities here," said Edgar with a tense smile.He looked to Setzer who nodded, apparently giving a silent signal that Squall was not a threat.Edgar immediately relaxed a bit, and asked, "Who might you be?"

"I'm Squall Leonhart, a SeeD from Balamb Garden."

Edgar scrutinized him for a moment, "Balamb Garden?What is this SeeD?"

Thought he kept his features neutral, Squall was surprised.He had never encountered anyone who didn't know what SeeD was.

"Um…it's a mercenary group that protects the world from evil Sorceresses."

"I've never heard of that…" Edgar trailed off.He seemed to be pondering something.

"That's alright," Squall was thinking too, "I've never heard of Figaro Castle either."Squall couldn't help but think back to what Kash had said… _All of them are in place now.We shall use their power to open the gate_.

Edgar spoke, stirring Squall from his thoughts, "These Sorceresses have magical power?How do they get it?"

Squall sighed.He really didn't want to get into a big explanation about it, "Some are born with it," he finally said, "Other's gain their power by receiving it from another…" something in Edgar's expression clued him off, "You have no idea what I'm talking about," he stated flatly.

Edgar shook his head, "No," he admitted, "but I'd like to learn.It might help us find out what happened to our friend Terra."

_We shall use their power to open the gate_, Kash had said.Squall's stomach knotted.

"This Terra," Squall began, "Is she a powerful girl?"

Edgar nodded, "She was once.She is half Esper, but all of her powers faded when magic died."

"Why?" queried Setzer.

Squall looked at him grimly, "I have a feeling that I'm not from around here…"

Chapter 10: Disjointed Realities

Raven jolted up, "Athena!" he screamed.Reality came back to him, and he soon realized that he was no longer at the Sorceress Memorial.It was a house, and he was laying on the floor next to a fireplace.Raven coughed and caught the taste of seawater on his tongue.

A young woman came rushing in at the sound of his voice."You're finally awake!" she exclaimed happily, "When I found you washed up on the beach, I thought for sure that you wouldn't make it."She was a blond-haired girl with deep blue eyes, wearing a red dress and a yellow scarf.She looked to be younger than twenty, but Raven wasn't sure.

"I guess I'm in your dept then," said Raven.Though he had no idea where he was or how he could have ended up washing upon some beach, "You got a name, kid?"

"Relm," she replied with a smile, "This is Thamasa by the way.I guess you probably couldn't tell by looking at the inside of my house."

"Raven Ebony," he returned the smile as best he could, but something puzzled him, "I've never heard of Thamasa before, and I've been everywhere."

"That's odd," replied Relm, "This town's as old as dirt!How could you not have known about it?"

Raven shrugged.Looked like he had gotten himself into another mess."What about Squall?Did he wash up too?"

Relm shook her head, "Nope just you.Sorry."

"Don't worry," Raven said this despite the fact that he was very worried himself, "Squall is too stubborn to die."He chuckled a bit, but it turned into a sigh.

"Why don't you rest here and look for him in the morning?" suggested Relm.

Raven was in no position to object.Even now he could feel exhaustion taking its toll on him, "Thank you for the hospitality miss."

Relm nodded, then left, letting Raven rest.

***

"…And that's all I know." Squall had just finished explaining about SeeD and the Sorceresses, as well as the more recent event's involving Rinoa, Raven and Kash.

"So you believe that someone is trying to open some sort of dimensional gate?" asked Edgar, "And it might be using Terra and these other girls to suite its purposes?"

Squall nodded.

"Fascinating," stated the king, "Now I have just one more questioned for you," he held up Squall's sheathed Gunblade, "Just what is this?I've prided myself at being a master of machinery, but this weapon is quite remarkable."

"It's my Gunblade," explained Squall.He very much wished that Edgar would stop asking so many questions and help him search, "A combination gun and sword."

"I figured as much," replied Edgar.He handed the weapon back to its owner, "Quite a majestic weapon."

Squall nodded again, "Now that we know each other's situation, we should take that airship of yours and look for them."

Edgar slowly shook his head, "I'm afraid that's impossible at the moment…"

"Why?" questioned Squall.

Setzer answered for him, "The Falcon took on heavy damage during an attack.When I got a good look at the engines, I was shocked that the ship had even stayed in the air."

King Figaro continued, "My best engineers are working on the Falcon even as we speak.However these things take time."

Squall could tell that Edgar was sincere.He clenched his fists, but only said, "Alright….whatever…"

Edgar continued, "I think we should use this time to collect more information and come up with some sort of plan."

"Agreed," said Squall, "So I guess for now we could…"

Squall was abruptly cut off when the doors of the thrown room fell open and a blue clad man rushed in.

"Edgar!" He looked to the others, "Setzer!Thank God," the man was practically screaming as he hurried toward Edgar, "I didn't know where else to go!"

Edgar stood, clearly dismayed, "What is it Locke?"

Locke stood before the king, a looks of extreme loss on his face.Squall knew that look well, for it had been on his face just days before.Locke gasped for breath, but continued on, "Celes is missing!

***

From what Squall could tell, Locke and Celes were married, or lovers at least.Locke went on about how the 'Rune Knight', as he referred to her once, had disappeared several days before and that he had been searching for her ever since.

Just how he knew Edgar though, was another matter all together.With his outfit, sword, and bandana, Locke looked more like a pirate or thief than someone who would befriend a king.

"So Terra is missing too?" questioned Locke.He seemed much calmer now that he understood the situation a bit better.He motioned to Squall, "Just who is this guy?"

"This is Squall," replied Edgar.He looked to Squall, "I think it would be better if we discussed his situation later…say, over dinner?"

"No time!" Locke insisted, "We have to look for her…err, them."

"As much as it pains me, we have to wait.The Falcon was damaged when Terra disappeared, and will take at least a day to repair."

Locke sighed, "Damn!So be it!"

Edgar put a reassuring hand on his old friend's shoulder.He really did hate to see him like this.Locke was one of Edgar's best friends.They'd been through a lot together…

…The two had met years before.Interestingly enough, Edgar met Locke when he caught him "treasure hunting" in his royal chamber.Needless to say, Edgar hadn't been pleased.Locke soon found himself jailed like a common thief, thrown into Figaro Castle's dungeon.

The king went down to visit him a few days later.After all, not many people had the audacity to attempt to rob the King of Figaro in his own castle.Edgar was surprised when the man actually apologized. 

It was then that the name of the Returners, an underground anti-empire faction, came up.Locke explained that he had been trying acquire money for the group so that they could buy weaponry.

This interested Edgar greatly.He had sympathized with the group for some time now, but was unable to make contact with them.Although Edgar had played 'the good little puppet king'for the Empire, truth be told, he hated them to the core.Edgar and his prisoner talked for many hours.In the end, Edgar released Locke and agreed to provide the Returners with his best weaponry.

Though it took a while, Locke and Edgar each gained the respect of the other…

…And now they were good friends, which was he hated to see Locke in such pain.He had been overjoyed when Locke announced that he Celes were going to be married.Edgar threw them the greatest wedding that he could possibly manage on such short notice.The ceremony and feast were still left unmatched to this day…and would likely remain that way until Edgar's or Sabin's wedding.If either of them ever did settle down that is.

Edgar looked to his friend, "We're going to find her, I assure you.But first we need to know what we are up against.We can't start going off half cocked, right?"

Hesitantly, Locke nodded, "I suppose so," he grudgingly agreed.

"Good.Now why don't you rest in the guest chambers?I'll have one of the servants fetch you at supper time."

Chapter 11: Friend or Foe?

"Lord Dark Heart!" came the call.

"What is it, my second in command?" questioned Dark Heart.He turned from his completed project.Leaving the girl to suffer at the bottom of her prison.

She hesitated, absently tucking a strand of red hair behind her pointed ear, "It seems that Raven has survived…as has Squall."

The dark one breathed out sharply and frowned.Kash had failed him, and for that he would pay dearly.He wouldn't kill the man…no.But he would make him think twice about ever failing again.He told Kash to make sure that neither of them survived, but instead, the fool assumed that the transfer of dimensions would do the job for him.

Dark Heart grunted in annoyance, "No matter," he stated confidently, "They will not be more than a nascence," Dark Heart smiled evilly, "They will be swatted like insects when the time is right."

"There is one other thing my lord."

"And what is that?" Dark Heart carefully eyed up his second in command.He ran his tongue across his barb-like teeth, relishing the taste of blood when one of the jagged spines pierced the soft muscle.He almost smiled as the red fluid ran over his taste buds.

"Its Raven's Blade.With it he might be dangerous.It has the ability to reflect magic."

At this, Dark Heart did smile, "Interesting."

"I should know," continued the girl, "I designed it myself."

He nodded, "If that be the case…" Dark Heart turned back to the green-haired girl, "When she awakes, send our newest recruit out to intercept Raven," his expression darkened, "He'll have the honor of being the first she kills."

***

Raven awoke as the sun began to rise.A few rays of the golden light filtered through a nearby window, falling across his face and eyes.Shaking off the remnants of sleep, Raven sat up and looked around him.

The fire had long since extinguished, but the room had not taken on the chill of morning.Raven ran his fingers through his mussed hair and after a moment, he stood.When he looked around, he saw Relm.She was sitting at a nearby table, her head down, fast asleep.

Raven smiled slightly, letting his emotional mask drop for afew moments.He replaced it though as he slowly walked up to where the sleeping girl rested.The man shook her gently, attempting not to startle her, but failed.

Relm awoke with a start.She looked up at him for a few seconds, but then breathed a sigh of relief.

"Sorry," apologized Raven, "I just wanted to thank you for your kindness and tell you that I have to leave soon."

"Don't mention it," replied Relm slyly, "I guess I've just been a bit jittery since my grandfather died a few months ago," she looked away.Then, after a bit of hesitation, she asked, "Where will you go?"

That was a good question.Raven wasn't even sure where he was, let alone where he should go.Thamasa, Relm had said.But where on Earth was Thamasa?Raven shook his head, "I'm not sure.I'm looking for some people.Friends of mine.Do you have any idea where I might start looking?"

"Well…" Relm got an odd look on her face, "There's Eboshi Rock, and the mountains to the north, but other than that you're…kinda on an island."

Raven sighed and chuckled to himself.Of all the places he could have ended up! "Great," he muttered.

Relm gave him a cross-eyed glance, "Hey.Watch your attitude, buster, or I'll paint your portrait.Even with all the magic gone, my pictures still pack a wallop!"

Now it was Raven's turn to be surprised, "Magic gone?How long was I out?"

"And how much magic have you seen recently?" questioned Relm.She laughed, as if thinking it all a game.

Raven put his hand over his face, "More than I'd have liked."

"Sure, Raven," she laughed again, "I think maybe you should rest awhile longer.Looks like you mighta gotten a knock to the noggin."

"Whatever."

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry," Relm let out an exasperated heave and made a face, "I'll take your word for it," her expression softened, "Look, if you need a guide through the mountains, I'm your girl.I know them like the back of my hand."

Raven nodded, "Sure, thanks," he said absentmindedly.Magic gone?If only he had some drawn spells to show her.Though not impossible, it was hard for Raven to hold Para-magic inside him without a GF.On top of that, without the enhancing qualities of a GF, what magic he could draw was weak.That was probably why most people broke down and used GFs.But Raven didn't trust them.They tended to be far too unreliable – slow to summon, and in general, they seemed to have a dislike for him as well.Raven much preferred to rely on his physical attacks.As long as he had The Blade in his hand…wait a minute…

"Where is my sword," he questioned.Until then, he hadn't realized that it was nowhere to be seen.Relm must have put it and its magnetic sheath in another room.

"Oh, I'll get it for you," replied Relm.With that, she got up and went elsewhere in the house."

A moment later she returned, carrying his sword in both hands.The sheath was slung around her shoulder.He met her half way and took the weapon from her.

"Thanks.So when would you like to go?"

"How about after breakfast?" replied Relm.

Raven's stomach growled.He suddenly remembered that the last thing he had eaten was that putrid tasting Funguar, "As long as it has nothing to do with mushrooms, sounds good."

***

After breakfast, the pair set off through the plains with Relm in the lead.To Raven's surprise, there were few monsters that were willing to challenge them.Even the ones that did attack the two were weak and completely lacking magic attacks.

They were taken down with minimal effort from Relm and Raven.

Raven looked down on the body ofa large rabbit-like that he had just slain, "Man, I could get spoiled fighting monsters this weak."

"I guess," was the only reply he got.For just then, a large Doberman appeared out of nowhere and tackled Raven to the ground.His Blade was knocked from his hands.

Raven attempted to get the dog off of him, but that only made it more ferocious.The monstrous pooch bared its teeth, growling and snapping at him.All the while letting torrents of hot air wash over Raven's face; its breath stank of blood.

"Hey…Relm," Raven called as he dodged the creature's biting maw, "Could you give me a hand here?"

Relm pulled a paintbrush from her pocket and answered, "If you would stand still for a moment, maybe I could!"

"Stay still?" Raven could barely believe what he heard, "This thing's trying to bite my head off!"

"Just for a moment!" with that, Relm proceeded to swipe the air with her brush.Within moments, she had 'sketched' out a perfect replica of the monster.A moment later she called out, "Alright, Fido!Sickem'!"The dog obeyed and launched its own attack on the Doberman.The clone dog tackled the its target sending them both sprawling to the ground.

"What were you saying about the monsters being pushovers?" scolded Relm.

Raven stood and rushed over to Relm, "What in the name of…"

"Later!" Relm interrupted, "Let's get outta here!"

***

They reached the mountain range.

It was a while before either of them spoke again.But after awhile, Raven looked at Relm, "I see what you mean about your portraits packing a punch.But how could you do that without magic?"

Relm shrugged, "I was born with that ability.It's just a part of me.Gramps used to say that I was born with a paint brush in my hand."

Raven chuckled.

Relm laughed, "See?It's not so hard so smile from time to time."

He put his fingers to his mouth…indeed, he was smiling.It quickly faded though."Nowadays I find more comfort in this blade if mine than anything else," he said, gripping his gloved hand around the handle, "I suppose it's made me somewhat cold."

Relm cocked her head to one side and frowned, but kept quiet.Raven sighed.Maybe she was right.Maybe it was time to move on.After all, he had seen Athena alive.If he could just find her they could fight side by side once more.If only he could have found a way to rescue her before…

"Hey!" called Relm.Her sudden outburst shook Raven from his thoughts, "Take a look at that cave!"

Raven looked up.Not far from them, a cave stood.And though it was dim, he could see a soft pink light shining from somewhere within."It's probably just some light coming from the other end of the tunnel," he suggested.

Relm shook her head, "I told you, I know this place like the back of my hand," when she saw that Raven didn't understand the importance of her statement, she added, "There _is_ no exit to this cave."

"Hmmm…" Raven studied the light for a moment, "It might be worth checking out.You wanna stay here?"

"No, I wanna come too."

Raven nodded, "Ok, just stay behind me."

As the two entered the cave, the tension quickly rose.There was an unnatural feel to the air around them.Raven slowly walked through the cave, and Relm followed.On first glance, nothing seemed out of the ordinary in the dim, rosy light.The only thing he noticed was the musty smell and the abundance of cobwebs.

He kept glancing sharply around, for he kept thinking that he could see something just out of the corner of his eye, but when he looked this way or that, there was nothing there. Shadows scurried in the darkness around them. Or so it seemed. Yet even when he concentrated solely on watching, he could not tell for sure if what he saw was really there.

Raven could tell that Relm saw them too.She too was glancing about with a worried look on her face.He grasped her hand to comfort the girl and motioned for her attention, "It looks like the source is just up ahead."

She silently acknowledged him.

Not long after that, the tunnel opened up into a chamber.There wasn't much to the room.It was simple, rough rock through and through.However, what sat in the middle of the chamber was of interest to both of them…

There, on the ground, sat a being that looked strangely like a Guardian Force.The creature appeared to be female; her skin was pink and matched her frazzled hair perfectly.The creature's eyes were closed, so Raven couldn't get a look at her eyes.There was a certain beauty about the girl.She looked so human, yet at the same time, undeniably…foreign.He found himself staring, not able to tear his eyes away or think of any possible course of action.

The girl sat motionless, as if in deep meditation or prayer.

Relm moved over and whispered in his ear, "Raven, that's Terra," she motioned to the girl before them, "She's a friend of mine…but she shouldn't be able to take her Esper form now that her source of magic is gone.Something's wrong…"Then she called out, "Terra!"

Raven immediately sensed the error of her decision.He wrapped his hand around Relm's mouth, trying to keep any more sound from coming out.But it was too late.

At once, Terra's eyes shot open, revealing the dark, green pits within.Her face darkened as her eyes took on a fiery glow.Terra hissed, then stood and dusted herself off.

"Terra?" questioned Relm.She now knew what Raven had sensed before…Terra was definitely not herself.

She examined them for several moments.No emotion displayed itself on her face.After looking at Raven, her gaze shifted to Relm, and a glimmer of recognition fell across Terra's dark features.

"Why Relm," said Terra sweetly, "How nice to see you again.Good news, I don't have to kill you…" she put a hand to her chin, seemingly thinking about her last remark, "Hmmm…maybe just for fun anyway," she laughed evilly.

Relm took a step back, "Terra!What's gotten into you?"

Terra shrugged.Though it appeared to be a feminine gesture, her body flexed, revealing her to be much stronger than Raven would have initially thought.This meant that in a hand to hand battle, Terra would probably come out on top, "What indeed?" Terra replied cryptically.

Without turning, Raven addressed Relm, "Run…" he breathed, "and don't look back."

Hesitantly, Relm did as she was told.She took off at full speed out of the chamber.

Terra laughed again, "I'll find her," she promised, "And I think I'll torch Thamasa while I'm at it."

"You'll have to get by me first!" screamed Raven.His previous captivation had passed.To him, Terra was now just another monster.Raven drew his Blade.

"That's what I had in mind," replied Terra evenly, "It seems my master wants that sword of yours."

Gripping the Blade with both hands, Raven shot back, "Sorry, it kinda has sentimental value to me.So I guess the phrase would be, 'you'll have to pry it from my cold, dead fingers.'"

Terra smiled slightly, "Sounds good to me…but if you want cold, that's Celes' area.I'm fire!"Then, launching herself into the air, Terra unleashed a volley of fire element spells.

Raven held his Blade in front of him, blocking each discharge, but he could feel the fire heating up his sword as it absorbed the blasts.She paused for a moment, making Raven think that the Esper might have run out of energy.As he watched, Terra hovered in front of him, letting her top fangs protrude over her bottom lip.

"What, is that supposed to intimidate me?" mocked Raven.He wanted to trick her into using one of her more powerful attacks.It was risky, but Raven had a plan, "Show me what you've got!"

Raven was rewarded for his taunts.With a cry of rage, Terra screamed, "Fire 3!" and holding her hands in front of her, she launched a giant ball of superheated plasma at him.Raven was ready though.Drawing back, he slashed out with his sword and smacked the fireball with the blade.The energy as reflected, and went flying back to its source.It hit Terra dead on, and sent her crashing to the floor.

"How do you like a taste of your own medicine?" asked Raven.

Terra, gave no answer, not that he had expected one.She leapt up and charged at him with all her might, but Raven used the same tactic that Squall had used against him earlier.He sidestepped, parried her off, and then spun around, giving her a smack on the rear with the flat side of his Blade for good measure.

The Esper fell to the ground again.While she composed herself, Raven leapt back, putting some distance between himself and her.When she stood though, Terra emitted a high-pitched animal-like screech.

Raven screamed in pain.He was forced to drop his sword and cover his ears.It felt like his head was about to explode.He knew he had to do something fast, but it was getting harder and harder to think.

There was one possibility, but it was as risky as doing nothing.However, doing nothing was definitely not an option, so Raven called out, "I don't know what kind of power you're using, but prepare to have it used against you!Draw!"

The instant the orbs of energy left Terra, she stopped screeching and began screaming…almost as if in pain.She dropped to the ground, crying loudly, then fell unconscious.

When the drawn magic entered Raven, he received the shock of his life.The energy was so strong that he too fell to the ground, completely overwhelmed.It felt like his entire body was on fire.Despite himself, Raven cried out as he felt the power surging through him.

Even in her unconscious, Terra began reflexively casting off random spells.Most of which hit the surrounding walls and ceiling.The cavern began to collapse from the strain, raining rocks down on them.The cavern was not as strong as it had been, weakened by her spells.Then boulders started falling around the entrance blocking their only way out.

The cavern walls collapsed to dust, and the ceiling was not far behind.Raven could tell he didn't have much time left.Though all he cared about now was making the scorching pain that wracked his body end.

If he had one consolation, it was that Relm and the people of Thamasa would be safe.However, that was the last thing he thought before darkness took him…


	3. Merging Journies (Part 3)

**Part** **Three******

Chapter 12: The Rift Opens

"Xu!" called Headmaster Cid.After Garden had returned to the Balamb continent, Cid began dispatching most of the higher ranking SeeD soldiers in order to locate in and (if necessary) rescue Squall and his companion.After a very long talk with President Loire, Cid finally determined that Rinoa's death had been a hoax masterminded at least in part by his Chief of Security.Now Xu was practically the only one left.

"What is it Headmaster Cid?" questioned the young SeeD.She approached him, expecting an order to join the search, but he surprised her.

"Xu, I think our searches are going to prove to be futile…"He shook his head solemnly while gazing at a map of the world that hung in his office.

"Sir, you're not going to call of the search so soon are you?"

"No," he assured her, "But something Ellone said makes me wonder…"Cid remembered back to the meeting he had with the Estharian officials…

"_So you would be willing to testify to Squall's innocence,_" Cid had asked Ellone.

She nodded, but said nothing.

"_Yeah,_" Laguna said, "_And after the way Kash tore up this place, I'm gonna hang his goose out to dry!_"

Kiros laughed, but made no attempt to correct his friend.

"_I've sent one of my people out to the Memorial_," explained Cid, "_I'll call for his report now,_"he pulled a communications device from his coat pocket and activated it, "_Irvine, what is your status at the Sorceress Memorial?_"

There was a few moment's of silence before Irvine's shaken and awed voice came over the line, "_There's nothing here…_" he finally managed.

"_No one is at the Sorceress Memorial?_" questioned Cid.

More silence."_Irvine_?"

"_There's nothing here!No people, no Sorceress Memorial…Nothing.There isn't even a blast crater.It's as if the Sorceress Memorial never even existed!_"

Irvine finally calmed down.The Headmaster signed off, and looked to Laguna and the others.

Ellone was the first to speak, "_I don't feel Squall anymore…it's as if he's no longer here.But he's not dead, I'm sure of it_…"

…Cid was jarred from his thoughts when a Garden cadet came barging into his office.

"Headmaster!" he cried, "I have urgentnews to report."

Cid turned to the boy, "Go ahead then, lad."

"The town of Balamb…there was a rumbling, and then it just vanished!"

"Vanished?"

The messenger student nodded frantically, "Yeah!No buildings…no people!Nothing left!"

The similarities were too uncanny to ignore.Very likely whatever happened in Balamb was also what happened at the Sorceress Memorial.He turned to Xu."Were any of our SeeDs in Balamb."

Xu thought for a moment, "Yeah…Quistis!"

Chapter 13: The Search Begins

"We have lift off!"Edgar and Setzer cheered together.

Squall and Locke were less enthusiastic, but happy to finally get a move on.Unfortunately, since there were two at least two world to choose from, there was no way to say for curtain that whoever was doing this even lived in this dimension.Squall soon found himself becoming disinterested with the scenery.He went below deck.

When he got there, Squall found Locke sitting in a nearby chair.The man acknowledged Squall's presence, but made no attempt to begin a conversation.Squall, of course, was fine with this.

He had no need to go chatting about his problems with someone he hardly knew.All Squall wanted to was to have Rinoa safely back in his arms once more…no, that wasn't completely true.He also wanted to put a stop to the force that had started this mess in the first place.

It was about ten minutes after Squall entered that Locke looked up again."Squall?" he questioned, getting the other man's attention.

Squall sighed, "Yeah?"

Locke hesitated, "Rinoa…"

_Of course he has to talk about her_, thought Squall, _I don't feel like explaining things anymore!_

However, Locke continued, "She seems a lot like Celes…you must miss her."

Squall eagerly tried to change the subject, "Edgar told me that you rescued Celes before she could be executed as a traitor."

Locke smiled, probably remembering some fond memories, "Yeah…so how did you and Rinoa meet?"

More questions?"A dance," Squall replied.

"Sounds…nice…" Locke trailed off.He stopped talking and began reminiscing with himself, reliving old memories in his mind.

Squall was once again left to his thoughts.He thought about what Locke had said…of he and Rinoa meeting.He let a small smile escape his lips.The man was right, it did seem like something out of a fantasy…

Chapter 14: Awakening

_What's so great about love?_

_What's so great about that?_

_Why are you so happy?_

_Why can't I…love…like…you?_

(to Terra's Theme)

Terra slowly opened her eyes, but could see nothing but darkness.Weakly, she made an attempt to sit up, but found that she could not move to do so.In fact she could not move at all.There was something big on top of her, holding her in place.She tried with all her might to move it but it wouldn't even budge.

What had happened?She couldn't remember anything.He had no idea at all about what had happened.

The last thing she remembered being hit from the Falcon.She should be under water, not under…whatever she was under.

So still, the question loomed - how had she gotten here?She was trapped under what she now realized must have been a ton of rock, she tried again to move but failed.Terra started to thrash about in panic, trying with all her strength to move her stone jail, however it just wouldn't budge.

She opened her mouth, screaming as loud as she could.But even as she did so, she knew nobody would be able to hear her.Terra struggled and struggled, soon loosing the feeling in her limbs, stopping only when she exhausted her strength entirely. 

Her eyes filled with tears.Was she doomed to die here under all of this rock?Her children…they would never know what became of her.She couldn't let that happen!She'd promised Colleen that she would return!Terra began her struggle anew, but found it to be it to be fruitless.

She laid there for some time, trying to think of something to do, but nothing came to her…

_Father?_ She thought to her self.It was strange, but even with all of the sharp rocks poking her body, Terra felt that she could distinguish her Magicite pendant as it was pressed against her._Father, If you are with me still…in any way…please give me the strength to live._

To Terra's surprise, she got a response._Terra, my darling daughter…the power is already within you.It has been thrust back upon you.Call upon it now…but please, don't let it consume you!_

She didn't understand what he meant, but listened none the less.Focusing all of her strength, Terra called upon the powers that she hadn't thought she could ever posses again.She could feel the weight on her body begin to loosen and redoubled her effort to move the rock.Terra pressed against the stone with all her might, lifting it slowly until she could feel fresh air rush to meet her lungs and flesh.Then, she gave it her all and flung the stone aside. 

She stood finally; it felt was good to be free of that prison.She looked down across the mountain side to see where she was.She was surprised to see Thamasa not far in the distance.So that's where she had ended up…but how?

"Father?" she asked aloud.Terra waited, but received no answer.A ping of sadness washed over her heart…her father was gone again.Terra quickly pushed it aside though.There were still too many questions that needed to be answered.

After she thought for a moment, she looked down at herself.She was still human, but she was completely naked.Had someone done this to her, she was forced to ask herself.Terra saw that she looked a little worse for wear.There were scratches and a few bruises on her limbs, and what looked like a mild heat burn on her chest, but other than that, she looked and felt fine.

It was while she was still examining herself that she noticed another pile of small boulders not far from her.That alone wouldn't have been enough to pique her interest, but she also noticed that there was a man's boot sticking out from under the rocks.

Completely forgetting about her current state, Terra rushed over and began lifting the stones off of him.When Terra had finished, she found a man she didn't know laying on the ground at her feet. 

She bent down and inspected him.He was a mid height, blond man wearing a now shredded leather jacket.On top of him laid a large, double-edged sword.It looked like the man had been trying to use it to shield himself with it.It was a fruitless effort really though.No human could have survived the crushing weight of all that rock.

Had he done something to her?Well she didn't recall him doing anything to her so she decided to wait to find her answers.It was too bad he was dead, really.Even though she had never seen the man before, there was something about him she liked…

That and he probably could have told her what was going on.

Just to be sure, Terra knelt down and put her index and middle finger to the artery on his neck.To her surprise, he had a pulse…a strong one at that.It appeared that the man was merely unconscious.

After lifting the man's oversized sword off of him, Terra removed the torn remains of his leather jacket and shook him a bit.He gave no response to this, so she shook him again.Still, he did not react.Sighing, Terra rolled him over onto his stomach to make sure that the man hadn't received a blow to the back of the head.

He hadn't.

However, she did notice something odd about him.Just bellow where his shoulder blades met, there was two small bumps poking out from his back.They were hidden by his shirt, but Terra could tell that, if he was indeed human, they did not belong there.

After a moment of hesitation, she tore the remaining cloth away, exposing his skin to the air.She gasped at what she saw.There was something growing on his back…

***

Raven moaned uncomfortably as he drifted in and out of consciousness.He could feel hands on him.He was being jostled this way and that.After a split second decision, Raven opted to ignore the feeling and go back to sleep.

In fact, it wasn't until much later, when he felt something tickling his nose, that he finally opened his eyes.All he could see was darkness.There was something on top of him, that much he was sure of.However, just what this something was, he didn't know.

He moved his head, trying to make the itching stop, but it was to no avail.That's when he realized what was on top of him…feathers.Another realization hit him a moment after that._Wings_?Did some bird fall from the sky and land on him?That would explain the headache he had, but there was something else.

Raven felt different somehow.Though just what had changed still escaped him.With a few swipes of his hands, Raven got the feathery wings off of him.To his surprise, they fell to either side of him…almost as if…_Oh My God_!They were attached to _him_!The very thought of being altered in such a manor frightened Raven more than he would care to admit.However, he was not left to worry about this for too long.

"Hello?" came a soft, yet familiar voice.

Raven stopped examining his new wings and looked behind him to find who had spoken to him.To Raven's utter surprise, behind him he found a young, beautiful, _very_ naked green-haired girl.

He quickly averted his eyes, "I…I'm sorry," he managed to stammer out, "I'm Raven…what is going on here?"

The woman sat down a few feet away from him, "Terra," she stated, "And I was hoping that you could tell me."

Raven spun around, looking at her face to face, "Terra?Then you're that _thing_ that attacked me!The Esper!"

Terra seemed taken aback.She cringed at the thought of being called a 'thing', "I…" she questioned, not understanding what he meant, "I attacked you?Why would I do such a thing?"

"That's what I'd like to know," Raven replied.He looked at her.Terra's face looked about the same in this form though she had returned to a more natural color.Her eyes, though, were completely different.No longer were they the dark pits that he has seen before.They were human…beautiful.

Terra no longer seemed to be the monster that she had been before.However, at the moment, Raven wasn't going to take any chances.They simply stared into each others eyes for a moment, trying to feel the other out, and understand each other.

After a moment, Terra broke the silence, "Please forgive my bluntness, but what _are_ you?You almost look like an Esper.You know, with those wings and all."

"I'm human," Raven shook his head, "or at least I should be.I don't know where these came from," he said, indicating the wings.Raven looked himself over; other than the wings, he seemed to be the same."I'm not sure how either of us survived that cave in."

"A cave in…that would explain how we managed to get buried under all that rock.Fortunately, my Esper half makes me a bit more durable than humans…wait," she paused, considering the words that she had just uttered, "My Esper half…should be dormant.Why would I still be able to summon that…after all this time?"

"I don't know."

"Neither do I," she uttered sullenly, "But I have the feeling that something terrible has happened to me.Please, Raven, tell me what happened between us."

Raven could see the pleading in her eyes.She seemed to be attempting to curb her fear, but Raven could see it despite her efforts.He scratched his head, thinking back to what had happened, "Well, this girl and me, we were checking out a light in this cave.We found you, and when you noticed us, you attacked us and I told the girl to run.

"Strange thing is, you said that the one that you were working for wanted my sword," Suddenly remembering that his Blade wasn't with him, Raven glanced around, and found it a few feet away from him, "Anyway, we fought for a while, and you were using all sorts of magic against me," he thought it over for a moment, "Then I drew some of your power away to use for myself.I think that that was when we both fell unconscious, and the cave collapsed because of our fight.And one more thing…"

"What's that?" Terra asked with genuine interest.

"Who is Celes?"

Terra was surprised at the mention of that name, "How do you know her?"

"You said that if I wanted cold that it was her department.Is she a friend of yours?"

Terra nodded, "Celes is Locke's wife…but you don't know him either do you?She's a Magitek KnightOr at least she was.Could the same thing that took me from my friends have taken her as well?"

"I don't know," Raven replied, "But maybe we should try to find Squall, a friend of mine.If he's still alive that is."

"Well," Terra admitted, "It would be a better plan than waiting here for something to find us."Terra winced with a sudden flash of thought – that flare of green…Materia…what was it?

Terra clenched her jaw, trying to will the memory to recede.Raven noticed her discomfort, "Are you alright Terra?"

She nodded, "Yeah.I think anyway.I'm not sure exactly what they did to me, but I think I remember that it was excruciating.The darkness…it wants power."

"What kind of power?"

"I – I don't know.I just can't remember."

Raven put his hand on her shoulder, "Don't worry," he assured, "It'll come back in time.I just hope you can handle it as it does."

She nodded, "I do too."

Raven turned away again, "We should probably get going.But, do you think you could go around like _that_?"

Terra blushed, her cheeks flaring up bright red, "Well," she began, "When you're experimented on by a lunatic for half your life, you tend to loose most of your modesty," even as she said this, Terra found herself crossing her arms in front of her, "But I suppose you're right.I can't just go around nude.I'll have to think of something."

"You were experimented on?" questioned Raven, "I'm sorry."

"That's all right.It's in the past now."

Raven nodded, letting her drop the subject.

"Well," began Terra, "You said that I was in Esper form before, and I seem to have had my powers restored, so…" Terra began to concentrate.She could feel the heat building in her blood.Terra's skin began to glow softly.Then, in one fluid transition, Terra morphed to her Esper form.

Raven jumped back, "Whoa!"

Terra smiled inwardly, "A bit more appropriate I'd say."

After a moment, Raven recovered and nodded."So how do we get off this rock?" he questioned.

The Esper thought for a moment, "I guess we fly.I can fly, and I have a hunch that you can too, now.We'll figure out where you got those wings later," she prompted, "For now, let's just be glad you have them and get out of here."

"Sounds like a plan," Ravenagreed.

They stood, and Raven stretched his new wings.Terra's heart skipped a beat when the feathers quivered; Raven's wings looked so delicate._Maybe_, Terra thought, _I'm not alone in this world anymore_.

Raven retrieved his Blade from the ground, but soon realized that he couldn't put it on its sheath.His wings would get in the way, so he'd be forced to carry it for a while.Not that it mattered.The wings could wait.Raven had a bad feeling about what lay ahead.

Chapter 15: Rejoined

"I've been thinking," said Setzer, shattering the silence.Setzer had come to rest below deck, giving Edgar a turn at the wheel.Now Setzer was sitting at the table with the others.No one saw fit so speak for about an hour, not that Squall had a problem with that, but now it seemed that Setzer wanted to voice his opinion yet again."If magic was restored to this realm, wouldn't we have gotten our abilities back; not to mention, Terra?"

"Yeah," replied Locke, "but you said that you saw that creature use magic.Could it have been a trick?Could our world still be void of magic?"

Setzer shook his head, "Don't bet on it.I think that the magic we saw came from another world…perhaps Squall's, but I doubt it."

Squall thought about that for a moment.He'd suspected the same thing himself.

The gambler continued, "As things are, the only Espers that still exist on this world are Terra, that shard of Magicite that remained from her father Maudin, and the one used to form the blade of the Ragnorok.Locke, you still have that sword, correct?"

"Right here," Locke patted the blade at his side, "It's a powerful sword.Although it hasn't shown any magical properties since magic died."

"True, but if something found a way to restore those monsters, then we'll find a way to recharge that sword," he smiled, "And ourselves at the same time."

Squall spoke up, "I'd help it I could, but the only way I can transfer magic is by drawing and casting spells.Sorry."

Locke looked up, "Yeah, you mentioned before.How exactly does magic work on your world?"

"Well," Squall began, "It used to be that only sorceresses could use magic.But a while ago, a scientist named Odine began studying sorceresses and found a way duplicate this ability in humans," he shrugged, carelessly, "Not long afterwards it was found that by joining with a Guardian Force, I guess they're something like Espers, the capability to draw and use Para-magic became went up exponentially.That's really all I know, I'm not really a history buff.I know that you draw spells from monsters and stock them for later."

"Interesting," replied Setzer.

He nodded.Edgar had spoken earlier about how, by using Espers, one could learn a spell and keep it permanently.Squall really thought that it seemed like a better system, but even that had drawbacks.Spell casting caused the caster to slowly become exhausted, and repeated use of magic without rest would eventually leave the user completely drained.All in all, Squall wasn't sure if he would like the tradeoff, but having a spell on hand when you needed it really did come in useful.

Squall's thoughts were suddenly interrupted when Edgar started yelling from up on the bridge, "Guys!Get up here now!" he called, "Something's coming…something big!"

The three stood at once, and ran towards the stairway.

Then they got there, Edgar pointed off into the distance about a kilometer away.It was another flying monster; a dragon of some sort.Setzer didn't have the best eye sight in the world, but he could tell that it was a large, red, armored beast with wings that spanned as wide as the Falcon was long.It had vicious, carved features that gave the dragon an almost demon-like look.

As the dragon approached, it roared deafeningly, picking up momentum when it neared its prey.

Setzer rushed over to Edgar, "Give me the wheel!" he ordered, "You fight and I'll do the fancy flying!"Edgar didn't argue.He nodded and took his place beside the others.Setzer pulled the Airship hard to port, actually bringing them around and behind the dragon.

The creature quickly realized that it had been tricked and doubled back, hovering in the air in front of the airship

"What is it waiting for?" questioned Edgar.

"I don't know." Locke said, clutching his stomach.He looked like he was going to throw up over the railing any moment.

Setzer smirked, "How do you get seasick in the air, Locke?"

"Seasick, airsick… uhg, I don't care!Just watch your flying!"

Just then, the dragon launched its attack, spewing flame from its open mouth.Setzer sent the Falcon into a dive, trying to avoid the blast, but he knew that it wouldn't be enough.But before the scorching flames could touch the ship, Squall leapt forward and called out, "Shell!Water!"

He whipped out his hand, and a magical barrier appeared out of no where and stopped the flames.Then, a blast of water engulfed the dragon.

However, the water attack didn't phase the creature at all.In fact, it seemed to absorb the magical power from Squall's attack.The dragon repeatedly attacked the Magic Barrier, weakening it, but shattering it.

"No good," called Edgar as he unloaded a round from his Auto-Crossbow.The move proved to be futile though.The arrows merely bounced off of the dragon's leathery hide."Try a stronger spell!"

Squall nodded and called out, "Ultima!"Silence…then a soft whirring sound made itself heard.Ultima's green fire flashed out, hitting the dragon with a deafening roar and a near blinding flash.

The dragon went sprawling back through the air, bellowing in pain.Its body was burnt nearly black, and the creature's wings were tattered at the edges.

As the creature attempted to recover from the blow, Locke called out, "Hit it again!"

Squall shook his head, "Ultima spells are rare.I don't have any more!In fact, the only thing I have left is Fire and Cure!"

"Great!" called Edgar, exasperated, "Look!"Edgar pointed to the still injured, but partially recovered dragon beast.It glared at them, pure hatred in its eyes.

Opening its mouth, the dragon prepared to fire again…

Squall was completely out of options.He couldn't use Ifrit, because it would only heal the beast further.Without a non-elemental spell, nothing could bring the beast down.He watched as the beast swooped toward the Falcon and prepared to make burnt kindle out of the ship.

Fire spewed forth once more from the dragon's mouth, but this time, there was nothing to stop it…

Suddenly, there was a flash, and a human-sized pink creature darted in front of the flame wall, taking the blast instead of the ship.Though she seemed to be quite strong, the blast sent her flying onto back onto the deck of the airship.

Setzer, Locke and Edgar face faulted and exclaimed, "Terra?"

The pink girl looked up at them slyly, "Miss me?"

Another entity with large black wings flew up.It carried a large flat-bladed, double-edged sword, which he aimed at the dragon and then called, "Blade Beam!"

A surge of white light streamed from the man's sword, hitting the dragon dead on, and dealing the final blow.It fell.

The winged man turned toward the ship, and it was then that Squall and the others got a good look at him.

The others gasped, "Another Esper?" questioned Edgar.

Terra shook her head, "I don't think so…"

Squall stepped forward, "That's the one I was looking for…Raven."

Raven slowly lowered himself onto the deck of the Falcon.Concentrating, he forced his wings to fade, much the way that Terra could morph her entire body.He sheathed his Blade and looked up at Squall.

"You're safe!" Squall called.He seemed genuinely happy to see him.

Raven smiled slightly, "I see you are too.I think we've both go a lot of explaining to do."


	4. Merging Journies (Part 4)

**Part** **Four******

Chapter 16: A Nightmare's Game

"Nowhere to run my dear," came the taunting voice.It seemed so hauntingly familiar to Terra, but her memories were such a jumble that she couldn't tell, "Not even within your own mind!"

Terra glanced at the utter blackness around her.She didn't know where she was, or how she had gotten there…all the girl could see was the darkness that seemed to press in on her from all sides.Terra listened as echoes from her subjugator's voice bounced throughout the nothingness, but could not pinpoint where it was coming from.His voice seemed to come from everywhere.

"I own you!" it told her, "You belong to me, body, mind and soul!"

"What…are you talking about?" Terra questioned forcefully, trying to suppress a stammer.Something about this voice seemed to inspire sheer terror in her.She could not explain it, and could hardly suppress the feeling.She almost wanted to scream.

Her tormenter laughed, coldly, "You don't remember, do you?" he questioned, "Oh, this will be so much fun then," the unseen creature seemed absolutely cheerful at the thought of her discomfort.

Unconsciously, Terra took a step backward and nearly fell when she realized that she stood at the edge of a cliff.The girl steadied herself, suddenly realizing what was going on.The torturous entity wanted her to fall.

It has said something about not being able to hide…even within her own mind.This was within her mind?Then the cliff was symbolic.If she fell, then she would loose control again; forfeiting her soul to this beast…whatever it was.

"I gave you back your strength, Terra," the darkness explained, "I own your power.I gave you the magic of another world."

"This isn't real!You don't own me!"

To this, the darkness merely laughed again, "This is very real.You are going to be working for me once more."

It seemed so sure of itself.It couldn't be true, could it?Terra fought it, bet felt herself being pushed back once more.

"No!" she cried.

"Yes," it replied, "You will lead your friends to the merge points, retrieve the treasures and then lead them right into a trap."

"No!" Terra repeated, "I won't," she added weakly.She could feel it smile as she neared defeat.

Then, a small voice whispered, _Fight Terra._Then aloud, "Daughter!You must fight!"

"Father?" Terra questioned.

"You must not let him destroy you, Terra," her father told her, "He has no more power within your mind than what you give him."

There was a pause before the darkness spoke, "Why Maudin.My old friend," it stated sarcastically, "How nice of to see you again."

"Dark Heart.You should be dead," Maudin replied.

"As should you," scoffed the darkness, "But we both seem to have lived on in one form or another."

"You can never have the power you seek.The one called Kefka tried, and was destroyed because of it."

Dark Heart chuckled, "Kefka was an overzealous fool who had no idea how to use the power he held.I will not make the same mistake.Once the rift opens fully, the merge complete and I will rule supreme!"

"You _are_ a fool!" Maudin countered, "What you plan will destroy all three worlds.You won't have anything left to rule over."

"We will see…"

With that, there was a bright flash of light.Terra felt herself being lifted, and slowly began to wake…

***

Terra jerked awake.She shook her head, trying to clear the cobwebs; trying to discern fantasy from reality.Dark Heart's words came back to her, as did her father's.He had saved her again.

Her head began to hurt, and suddenly flashes of the past few days began to resurface.Terra wept softly as the painful memories came back to her.

But now, she knew what she had to do.

Chapter 17: Ancient Treasures

After Setzer landed the Falcon in an open field, he and the others went below deck to sort things out and plan their next move.It seemed that something was up if they had been attacked.Perhaps they had gotten closer to…well, what ever it was, then they thought.

"What happened to you, Raven?" questioned Squall.Indeed, that was the topic on everyone's mind whether they knew him or not.

Raven shook his head, "I don't know," he replied.The young man sat at the table with the others, but didn't make eye contact, "It's fuzzy.I was battling with Terra like I said, but when I tried to draw spells from her, both of us passed out,"Raven shrugged, "When I woke up, I had wings.Weird, huh?"

The others nodded in agreement, and a moment later, Raven continued, "But now Terra says she doesn't remember what happened to her."

"Why doesn't that surprise me?"It was Locke.Everyone looked to him.

"And what the devil is that supposed to mean?" questioned Edgar.

Locke slammed his fist on the table, "I'd say that's pretty damn convenient!Terra has a history memory lapses.Now we need to know if Celes and the others are safe and she's gone and forgotten again!"

Raven pointed his finger at Locke, "Listen, why don't you just back off!You're not the only one who has ever lost someone you love; we're not going to get anywhere if we bully Terra around."

Setzer looked to the others, "He right.Locke, I know you're upset, but we can't take that out on our other friends."

Locke shook his head, "I suppose so…"

"No, Locke is right," All eyes turned to the far wall as Terra entered the room from where she had slept.She had gone back to human form.Setzer managed to find some work clothes that had been left by a work crew.She was now clad in a boots, light brown leather pants, and a loose-fitting, gray shirt.

Raven looked at her tear-stained face, wondering what she planned to say.

"Locke has a right to know what I know," continued Terra.She sat, taking the place next to Raven."I think I'm beginning to understand what happened to me…to us."

A moment of tense silence passed before Edgar prompted, "Go on."

Terra nodded, "I was taken to some place beyond the Sealed Gate, but not in the Esper World.Somehow it was beyond that too.Almost as if this world exists in the gap between dimensional fabric.It was made up of fragments of our world and the other two."

"So there are more than two worlds then?" questioned Squall.Terra now had his full attention.If she knew where Rinoa was, then he, follow this Esper to the ends of the world.

"I believe so," Terra replied, "The creature known as Dark Heart took me.He infused me with some magical substance called Materia and ripped my thoughts from me.I don't know how…I wasn't conscious at the time.

"I believe that he is trying to merge all three worlds into one," Terra looked to the others, gauging their expressions.Some looked shocked, while Raven and Squall kept their reserve up."The darkness doesn't seem to understand that doing so will destroy the universe as we know it.All he cares about is obtaining three ancient treasures."

"Treasures?" questioned Locke.

"Magical treasures I'd assume," Edgar added.

Terra nodded, "As the worlds begin to merge, they will be uncovered.In our world, a special orb called the 'Antipode Materia' will be uncovered.I believe Antipode means 'fire and ice' in an ancient language.In the third world, a place of light will appear that will allow the drawing of magic.I don't know what will be on Squall and Raven's world, but Dark Heart seems to want it very badly."

"Then we should go after it!" called Edger.

Setzer shook his head, "How could we get to it?" he questioned, "We have no way of traveling through dimensions, and even if we did, this Dark Heart would probably be right on top of us the whole way."

"True," agreed Terra, "However, he seems to deem the 'Antipode Materia' of less value, and it is in our world, so perhaps we could attempt to retrieve that item."

Raven nodded, "That seems to be our best course of action at the moment."

"Agreed," Squall replied.

Locke sighed in a put-upon manor, "I suppose it's better than doing nothing…."

"There is one other thing…" Terra added hesitantly, "There were others with me."

"Others?" questioned Raven.

"I know I saw Celes.Dark Heart was angry because she wasn't breaking like the others."

"Celes…" Locke cut himself off.

Terra continued, "I don't know how long she could have held out…but I doubt it was long.Dark Heart seems to know how to expose weakness in others."

"So what are we supposed to do?" asked Locke, "Do we go after this Antipode Materia?"

Raven could see a look of anger in Locke's eyes.The man definitely seemed engaged that his wife had been kidnapped.Not that Raven blamed him; on the contrary, he knew just how Locke felt.

"Terra?" questioned Setzer, "Do you know where the artifact is?"

She shrugged, "I know the general area, but not its precise resting place."

"And where is that?" inquired Locke.

"Somewhere within the boundaries of the Kingdom of Trina."

There was a pause.

"Oh no!" Edgar exclaimed, an alarmed expression on his face, "Not there!" 

Terra looked at him, "What's wrong?"

"Yes, Edgar, you look positively spooked!" observed Locke.

"The Kingdom of Trina is ruled by King Frenzy.He is neurotic to say the least."

A moment later, Setzer stood, "I remember him.I tried to refuel the Blackjack in his kingdom once and he turned me away because of my hair! Could he really still be in power."

Edgar nodded, "He is.My kingdom just finished setting up a trade agreement with Trina.He's quite paranoid as well. One of the stipulations was that no one from Figaro enter his boarders without the kings permission."

Locke looked away, "So basically, we're right back where we started."

"Couldn't you ask him, Edgar?" asked Terra, "After all, you are a king yourself."

Edgar chuckled, "It's hard to get anything out of that old coot.He's so unpredictable that I could hardly venture a guess."A moment later, he continued, "I suppose it's worth a try though," he nodded.

"I'll start the engines then," stated Setzer, evenly.Raven could tell, even through the man's cool exterior, that Setzer didn't want have any wish to encounter King Frenzy again.Somehow, Raven had a feeling that he wouldn't ever want to see him again either.

Raven watched silently as Setzer left.A moment later, he stood and turned to Squall, "So how have you been handling without me?" he asked jokingly.

Squall hesitated for a moment, "Well enough," he replied, "I just want this over with."

Raven gave a weak laugh, "You and a lot of other people."

Squall nodded.Shortly afterward, he stood as well, and he and Edgar made their exit, leaving Raven and Terra alone.

Terra finally stood, her eyes averted from Raven.She seemed tense for some reason, but he could only guess as to why.Terra kept silent, and appeared to be ready to leave, but Raven still felt the need to talk to her.

"Are you alright?" Raven asked matter-of-factly.

The girl nodded, but still said nothing, as if afraid that she would say something wrong.

"Terra?"

"It's nothing.Nothing you need to be concerned with anyway," Terra paused again and looked up at him with urgency, "I still feel the darkness on the fringes of my mind when I sleep.I'm afraid of what I might do if it gains control of me again.Will you be able to stop me again?Will I hurt the people I care about?Will they have to hurt me?Kill me?"

"Don't think about it," consoled Raven.He put his hand on her shoulder, "Just don't push yourself.Maybe you should stay back.Not come with us to Trina."

Terra sighed and shook her head, "No," she told him, a sudden look of determination on her face, "Let me tell you something about me.When I first escaped from Kefka's experiments, I didn't know who I was or why I had the power I did.Then the memories began to resurface…soon I didn't want to know anymore.I lost control of my Esper power and went completely berserk." She shifted uncomfortably, "I ran away from myself because I was too afraid to face reality.A year later things seemed to repeat.I didn't know what to do so I ran away again.This time to a town called Mobliz…"

Terra turned away, "I've been running half my life and I'm tired of it.Dark Heart did some horrible things to me.He's not going to get away with it,"she looked back to Raven, obviously fighting back tears, "I'm not running any more."

Raven nodded, his brows knitted with concern, "I think I understand," he said after a moment, "Do what you think is best."

"Thank you," Terra replied, "There's another thing.I believe that this Dark Heart is connected to my father somehow, but I don't know how."

"I'm sure we'll figure everything out in the end."

The soft whir of the Falcon's engines filled the air.Terra turned away from Raven again, "I like your wings," she said shyly.Before Raven could ask her what she meant, Terra quickly left.

Raven glanced briefly at the door, wondering what was going through Terra'smind.She seemed to be a very complex woman, almost as complex as Athena.They were a lot alike, Raven concluded.He sighed, and a moment later, he made for the exit.

"You be careful!" came a disembodied voice.

Raven froze.He'd thought that he and Terra had been alone.He turned, as Locke emerged from the shadows on the other side of the room.

"What is that supposed to mean, thief?"Raven chided.

"Treasure Hunter," Locke corrected, "And I mean, I don't want you toying with Terra's affections."

Raven gave the man an indignant look, "Like I would ever do that!You gotta lot of nerve," then he added hastily, "I already have a girl anyway."

Locke remained indifferent, "Yes, but she's not here and Terra is.I'll admit that I don't know you that well, but if you lead Terra into something that you're not willing to finish…if you hurt her – you will be very sorry."

"Well this is a change for you,"only a few minutes earlier, Locke had seemed ready to tear the girl's head off.

"Despite my anger before, I care for Terra very deeply.Do not play with her heart."

Raven nodded and gave a short laugh, "No worries there."

Locke left.

_What nerve_, thought Raven, _I can't believe he'd think that I…I would…well, I wouldn't!Not in this lifetime._

He'd try his best to shrug off anything Terra did without hurting her feelings.Truthfully though, Raven doubted that Terra could feel that way about him.After all, they had just met.And it was true, Raven did feel something for Terra, but he was sure that it would turn out to be nothing.

Raven sighed and made for the bridge.

Chapter 18: The Lunatic and the King

The Kingdom of Trina seemed to have recovered greatly since the day the world changed.There were flower gardens everywhere in the Castle town of Trina.The streets were clean, and every building was in top condition.Everyone seemed happy and content, far from what Terra would have expected from Edgar's description.

She'd thought that the town would be…something like Zozo.Perhaps cleaner and with fewer thieves, but not nearly this luxurious. She'd at least thought that there would be a veritable army on the streets, in order to put down any uprisings.Thought it seemed as though King Frenzy was as kind a ruler as Edgar.What could have spooked him so badly?

"So what's so bad about this place?" Squall asked the question for her, "I've seen far worse than this before."

"Yeah," Raven added, "This seems like a paradise compared to some of the towns I seen on this world so far."

Edgar shook his head, "Frenzy is good to his people, but he is still a bit off his rocker if you ask me."

The group approached Trina Castle.There was, as could be expected, a pair of guards protecting the entrance.They were well armed, and obviously trained; it definitely would be a good idea to avoid a fight with them.

"Halt!" one of them called.He raised a hand as an indication to stop.When the party had done so, he continued, "What is your business in the castle?" he questioned.His voice bordered on threatening, but he made no attempt to reach for the sword at his side.

Edgar stepped forward, "I am Edgar, King of Figaro.We wish to speak to the King in order to gain permission to search Trina for…an artifact."

The guard considered this for a moment, "You'll excuse me if I would not permit a well armed party to enter the castle."

Edgar agreed, so the guard went on, "Four of you may enter, but you must leave your weapons with the others."

"Agreed," Edgar replied, "Terra, Locke, and Raven - you're with me.Setzer and Squall – head back to the airship.This may very well take a while."

***

Half an hour later, Edgar and the others were led to the throne room.King Frenzy sat in his throne, his retainer by his side.

This room in particular seemed to be exceptionally plush and luxurious.All the walls were of the finest stone and ornamented with cypress and teak wood.Gold and jewelry decorated almost every piece of furniture and shelf.Frenzy's thrown itself was make of strong oak, and was covered with velvet and silk.All in all, Edgar found the display to be rather tacky.Thought the others seemed to be impressed.

King Frenzy was as Edgar had seen him last, an overweight, middle aged man with frazzled, gray hair and a barely noticeable nervous twitch.

The king remained silent, but his retainer greeted them, "King Edgar.What may the great King Frenzy do for you today?"

"We wish permission to search the king's lands in order to locate an artifact."

Terra leaned forward and whispered, "He doesn't seems so bad so far."

"Just wait," prompted Edgar.

King Frenzy leaned forward and whispered something in the retainer's ear.A moment later, the retainer responded, "The king regretfully must deny your request on the grounds that you did not state it in the form of a question."

"Huh?" came the unanimous reply.Everyone except Edgar seemed surprised by this response.Edgar himself appeared ready for, and indeed had warned the others about a response like this.Still, Terra found such a reaction to be very irregular.Perhaps King Frenzy _had_ been aptly named after all.

"However," the retainer continued, "He says that he will fulfill your request if you do something for him."

Edgar wasted no time, "Then may we hear it?"

The King nodded and whispered in his retainer's ear again."The King wants the green-haired girl to entertain him."

_Me_? Terra questioned her self.What could he mean by that?

The other three erupted in to a chorus of complaints, "If you mean what I think you mean…" "Positively out of the question…" "Who the Hell do you think you are!?"

"Wait!" called Terra, "Let's hear him out."

The others looked at her but settled down.

The retainer nodded, "The king wishes to be entertained by having her sing a song…with instrumental accompaniment."

Terra held up her index finger, signifying 'just a moment'.The retainer gave them leave and the four huddled together.

"Whatdo you think?" asked Terra.

"I don't know…" Edgar began, "It just seems…"

"Odd," Locke interrupted, "You were right about this guy, Edgar."

Edgar only nodded in reply.

"So what are we supposed to do now?" questioned Raven."

"Well," Terra spoke up again, "I don't have Celes' singing voice, but I suppose…I sing.It seems to be the only way."

"Are you sure you want to?" asked Locke.

Terra shrugged, "It's not a matter of 'want'.We seem to have no choice," She reasoned.

"I guess so," Raven said.

They turned back to the king, "We'll do it," Edgar replied.

"Excellent," the retainer beamed, "We'll allow you to work out the details among yourselves.You have one hour to prepare, and will be summoned when your time has expired."

They agreed and returned to the hall.

"So what song are you going to sing?" questioned Edgar.Raven watched as Terra went on her tiptoes to whisper her choice in his ear.Edgar smiled, "An excellent choice, milady."

Terra gave him a small smile, "I'd like a stringed instrument for accompaniment.How about a twelve-string guitar?You know how to play stringed instruments, right Edgar?"

Edgar took a step back, "I know how to play the lute, but a guitar is a totally different instrument."

"I'm sure you'll manage," Terra said slyly.With that, she turned and went off to practice.

"This ought to be interesting," stared Locke with a smile.

Raven merely watched as Terra left.

Edgar smiled as well, "Yes, I suppose it will be."

***

(Author's note: This song is written to a version of Terra's theme that can be found here:http://www.geocities.com/powermandx/ffgeetar.mid.I'm not sure where I originally go it from so sorry about that.)

It was about an hour later that Edgar led Terra back into the throne room.He had received his instrument from one of the King's aids, but still had his doubts as to whether he could play it.Edgar truly wondered why Terra had chosen the guitar as an instrument when she could have had any she wanted.He looked at the instrument with some distaste.

"Are you ready?" questioned the retainer.

Terra nodded, "I believe so.How about you, Edgar?"

Edgar gave an exasperated sigh, "I am."

The others gathered, and the King took his seat.A moment later, Edgar began to play…

Awakening

_Upon this day, I am waiting._

_Upon this day, I am searching._

_For until this day, I was dieing..._

_Now there's you, now there's you._

_ _

_I used to think I was alone._

_I used to think, no one cared!_

_But now you - are with me._

_I know...you, are there._

Terra paused as Edgar played the refrain.She glanced quickly off to the side.Edgar followed her gaze and found that she was looking at Raven.Raven, however, kept his gaze away from her.Edgar looked back at Terra, who now had a pained expression on her face.She began to sing again…

_I used to think, I was alone._

_But I'll tell you this, I was wrong._

_How long will you, stand by me?_

_How Long?How Long?_

_ _

_When I was alone, I was shaking..._

_When you're by my side, I am strong!_

_How Long will you stand by me?_

_How long?How long?_

_ _

_What's so great about love?_

_What's so great about that?_

_Why are you so happy?_

_Why can't I...love...like...you?_

_ _

_What's so great about love?_

_What's so great about that?_

_Why are you so happy?_

_Why can't I...love...like you?_

Terra sighed when she ended.She continued swaying to the beat of the music and Edgar finished playing a few moments later.

"Well?" questioned Terra, almost impatiently.

King Frenzy leaned over and whispered in his aid's ear.A moment later, he told them, "The King says he was unimpressed."The retainer seemed genuinely empathetic.

There was a moment of tense aggravation.

Locke grunted, but restrained himself, "Well, I suppose it was worth a shot."

_Not that we could have expected more from him_, Edgar thought.He looked up from his reflecting, and was surprised to see Terra approaching the king.

"But…" she stammered.Terra appeared unable to believe Frenzy's audacity."We did as you asked.I entertained you, and you still won't grant our request?"

"Terra," Edgar pressed.He put his hand on her shoulder to try and calm her, "He is the King.He can do as he pleases in his kingdom whether we like it or not."

Terra wasn't convinced.She simply shook her head at Edgar, "There _is_ no other way," she turned her attention back to the King, "Listen!Whether you believe it or not, the future of the universe depends on our being able to search your land.We have to find that artifact and we have to find it NOW!"

Edgar's eyes widened, "That was unwise," he thought aloud.Terra most definitely was not herself.

However, to everyone's surprise, the King began to chuckle.Then, a moment later, he began laughing hysterically.Frenzy whispered in his retainer's ear again.

"The King," the man relayed, "finds the idea that you think you can boss him around most amusing.Therefore he believes that you have honored your half of the bargain and will fulfill your request."

The group stood there, shocked."Th…thank you, your highness," Terra stumbled.

"If we may go then," Edgar encouraged.

The King nodded and waved for them to leave.

A few minutes later, Edgar and the others exited the castle.

"Well…" Raven began, "He was a total psycho."

"Agreed," Locke decided.

Edgar laughed, "And to think, this was one of his good days," he joked.

Terra remained silent.Not that that was unusual for her, but the look on her face told him that something was wrong.

"Terra," Edgar motioned to her quietly.They went off to the side, allowing the others to go ahead toward the Falcon, "Are you feeling alright?" he asked her.

She hesitated, tentatively looking up at the others "I don't know," she finally replied, "I'm trying to keep my emotions under control, but it's hard."

"You don't usually have problems keeping yourself restrained, Terra," Edgar pointed out, "What is wrong?"

"I feel like I'm constantly being pushed around," she replied softly, "I don't know how much longer I can hold out."

Edgar couldn't help but feel for the girl.Terra was one who was liked to stay reserved.This whole experience had shaken that reserve greatly, and now she wasn't sure what to do."Maybe you shouldn't _try_ to hold out," he suggested.

"What do you mean?" Terra gave him a curious look.

"Well.Just let yourself feel what you need to feel.The more you fight them, the more they'll build up.Understand?"

"Terra nodded, "Yeah."

"Good," replied Edgar, "I'd better catch up with the others now.I hope you feel better."

Terra couldn't believe he was leaving it at that.Not that Edgar was the type to butt into people's privacy, but he seemed way too eager to end the conversation.She watched him go, and slowly began to follow.

Maybe he was right, Terra considered.She tucked a loose strand of green hair behind her ear,"But how am I supposed to _do_ that?"


End file.
